Bleeding Justice
by High-Elf-Swordsman
Summary: The story of three Shinigami and their adventures, trials, and tribulations as they are involved in combat, deception and politics in Seireitei and the Living World. Rated for violence and language.
1. Enter the Three Shinigami!

Bleeding Justice

High-Elf-Swordsman (HES): Hey all and welcome to Bleeding Justice, my first Bleach fic! Before we start, I'd like to say a few things. To start, almost all my names are original (as in they aren't real names/aren't words from another language) and this includes names of zanpakuto as well as characters. I do not know if the idea of Cells exists within Bleach, though Divisions and Squads do; I am using the idea of Cells to tie the story together better. Also, all zanpakuto ideas have already been planned out and are one-hundred percent original (and copyrighted by me…though I can't exactly copyright the, heh); if you want to use any of my ideas, please ask me first! Also, this story takes place a few hundred years or so before the main Bleach storyline. Anyway, I hope this introduction doesn't sound too presumptuous! Now read on and enjoy the story! Please review to tell me your thoughts!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach; all I own are the characters and their zanpakuto in this story with the exception of any that appear in the anime (a few of which will appear).

Chapter 1: Enter, the Three Shinigami!

"Formation Epsilon, Go!" The tall, brown haired youth yelled. The two youths beside him, both with black hair, nodded as they dodged the strike of the Hollow's claws.

These three youths wore black kimonos, which marked them as Shinigami, or Death Gods, an organization responsible for eradicating Hollows, cursed souls that consume innocent ghosts. All Shinigami, at some point, are tasked with the mission of slaying Hollows in the real world, before returning to Soul Society, a place most humans would refer to as "Heaven"; despite this thought, there were parts of Soul Society that were as vile and corrupt as Hell itself.

The shorter of the black haired youths swung his zanpakuto, or Soul Slayer, the katanas all Shinigami carried, as the Hollow's right arm. The Hollow itself dodged, and laughed behind its white mask. This Hollow was a lesser one, but still quite dangerous; it's body was pure black as with most Hollows, and it stood at least twenty feet in height. Its mask had blue streaks running across the circular eye holes, and a blue semi-circle beneath its gaping, fanged mouth. The Hollow also had long claws on each hand, similar to those of a predatory cat. The Hollow retorted now, by swinging his claws and knocking the shorter black-haired Shinigami to the ground.

"I'm not sure a direct attack will work," The taller black haired Shinigami stated to his comrades as he narrowly missed being gutted by the Hollow.

"Stick to the damn plan!" The brown haired Shinigami shot back as he slashed at the Hollow's mask, only to be head-butted to the ground. He rose, and blocked the Hollow's next claw slash with both his swords. "Go! Get him while I can hold him here!"

The shorter of the black-haired warriors nodded and rushed at the Hollow, brandishing his zanpakuto in the moonlight.

"Ye Lord, Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man, Inferno and pandemonium, The sea barrier surges, March on to the south!" The taller black-haired Shinigami chanted, before aiming his right hand at the Hollow while holding his zanpakuto in his left. "SHOT OF RED FIRE!" A red ball of flame erupted from his hands and flew towards the Hollow's mask, smashing the white article and slaying the Hollow instantly. The other two Shinigami rushed over to their friend, who panted heavily after using a great deal of reiatsu (spirit energy) to cast his kidou (the spells Shinigami use, also called Demon Arts).

"You stupid son of a bitch!" The brown-haired Shinigami yelled. "I could've taken him! You are your damned kidou, Tairos!"

"Tairos saved our lives," the shorter black-haired Shinigami said. "You can't blame him for trying to defeat the Hollow, Jaice."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Jaice answered. "Besides, he stole your glory, Baiten, you could've been the one to defeat that Hollow."

Baiten shook his head and extended a hand to help pull Tairos to his feet. "Our mission was to destroy the Hollow without causing extensive damage. The issue isn't who killed it or how it was killed, just that we saved innocents from casualties."

"You're just sore, Jaice," Tairos sniggered as he wiped some sweat from his brow, "because we all know you…"

"Don't say another word!" Jaice cut him off before Tairos could interject one of his favorite insults which riled up Jaice's already hot blood. Baiten stepped between the two and raised his palms in the air before pointing a finger at each of his comrades.

"We're supposed to be fighting Hollows, not each other." Baiten stated matter-of-factly. "Anyway, we need to head back to Soul Society." The other two nodded, and Jaice raised his katana, slicing into the very air itself. From the slash emerged a portal, similar to a traditional Japanese door made of wood and rice paper. The portal slid aside and the three walked in, and were instantly returned to Soul Society.

The center of Soul Society is a place called The Court of Pure Souls, or Seireitei. It is here that the Shinigami plan their activities and keep a watch on the surrounding areas of Soul Society, a dingy, run down area known as Rukongai.

Rukongai is home to spirits of the dead, called Plus, which are not as evil as the Hollow, though they are not necessarily good. Rukongai is a place of poverty, and many of the souls their resent the Shinigami and Seireitei, cursing the pampered conditions that the Death Gods reside in. Despite this enmity, every year several souls from Rukongai are chosen to attend the Shinigami Academy; several such souls were able to rise through the ranks and even become Captains, the leaders of the Thirteen Court Protection Squads, or Gotei 13, the squads that are the military of Seireitei.

Each Shinigami is assigned a squad, and within each squad are divisions, and each division houses many cells. Each cell generally consists of two to five Shinigami, and Baiten, Jaice, and Tairos were known as the 12th Cell in the 10th Division of the 9th Squad. The leader of this squad was a recently promoted Captain, Tousen Kaname, a dark skinned Shinigami who dressed in extravagant and brightly colored sashes and always wore a visor of his eyes. Rumors constantly circulated around the squad about Captain Tousen's odd choice of clothing, but none disputed his skills as a Captain. Though more inexperienced than most, in the four short years that he had been head of the 9th Squad he had proven his worth.

Upon re-entering Seireitei, Jaice, Tairos and Baiten were greeted by several members of their division, who congratulated them on successfully returning from a Hollow Slaying Mission. Jaice ignored the praise, muttering under his breath about the cowardice of Tairos, while Baiten politely thanked all who offered him felicitations. Tairos, however, absorbed the compliments like a wet sponge, and used any opportunity he could to recount the tale of how he single-handedly destroyed the Hollow. After about an hour of this, the rest of the division dissipated, having to go to missions themselves or having other tasks within Seireitei that they had been assigned to do. Having received some downtime, the trio opted to return to their division's boarding house and relax.

Each squad of the Gotei 13 has its own sector within Seireitei, and it is here that each division has its own boarding house. As lower ranking members of the 9th Squad, Jaice, Baiten and Tairos lived in one of the lesser furnished houses, but still comfortable. Upon entering their cell's shared room, Tairos immediately drifted off to sleep on his futon.

"Lazy slacker, how can he expect our Cell to get stronger of its weakest member never trains?" Jaice asked Baiten, looking at the snoring Tairos.

"Tairos does train, just not as often as you might like," Baiten pointed out. "Besides, he practices kidou more than either of us does."

"Kidou, ha! In true battle your zanpakuto is all you can rely on!" Jaice said, stating one of his famous personal parables.

"Suit yourself, but it seems to work for Tairos," Baiten answered.

"Whatever, you up for some sparring?" Jaice asked Baiten, who nodded. The two walked outside of the boarding house to their squad's training ground. They drew their swords and eyed one another, each preparing to strike.

Jaice was the first to move, charging forward and coming in for a slash from the right side. Baiten was able to deflect the blow, albeit barely, and respond with a quick thrust at Jaice's exposed left shoulder. Jaice hung back, causing Baiten's attack to go wide, and raised his weapon to deliver a slash at Baiten's back. Baiten moved to the right, being narrowly grazed by Jaice's blade. A small trickle of blood came from the gash on Baiten's side; in response, the two sheathed their blades.

"This makes fourteen wins for me, and twelve for you." Jaice said.

"Thirteen for you, but who's counting?" Baiten responded, shaking Jaice's hand. "Good match, too bad it couldn't have been longer."

"You up for another?" Jaice asked, running his hand along the hilt of his sheathed zanpakuto.

"Always," Baiten said, getting into the ready position to draw his weapon. Before either could attack, however, a small, black butterfly floated down between the two.

"A Hell Butterfly? Something must be up," Jaice said. "You take this one." Jaice didn't like delicate or "beautiful" things, so it was no wonder that he let Baiten allow the insect to land on his finger.

The butterfly landed on Baiten's finger, and he shivered a bit (still not completely used to the idea of an insect delivering a message as was the job of such a creature). "Relay to all squads: this is a message from the Central 46. All squads are to report to a special meeting by their respective leader in their assigned squad meeting area. Any Shinigami who do not attend will immediately be apprehended and tried for treason." Baiten said, relaying the message the Hell Butterfly telepathically relayed to him.

"Sounds serious," Jaice said. "We'd better wake that lazy-ass Tairos up and head over." Jaice wasn't one for subtlety either, and yelled as loud as he could: "WAKE UP YOU LAZY BASTARD WE HAVE SOMEWHERE TO BE!"

Tairos shot out of the boarding house and stood at attention. "Yes oh great Jaice, mighty 'Captain' of the 9th Squad!" Tairos said sarcastically. Jaice raised his fist in anger, but Baiten shot in before anything could happen.

"We have an urgent dispatch, we can't waste any time. Let's head to the 9th Squad Meeting Area quickly." The others nodded as Baiten finished speaking, and they raced off towards their destination.


	2. Astounding Announcement: Murder Mystery

Chapter 2: Astounding Announcement: The Murder Mystery

"Where are we going?" Tairos moaned as he raced behind Baiten and Jaice towards the 9th Squad meeting area. "I was enjoying such a nice nap…"

"Your sleep can wait; we have bigger matters to attend to!" Jaice snapped, ignoring Tairos's constant complaining. After serving together for a few years, Jaice had grown accustomed to Tairos and his whines about anything that involved work of any kind.

"We've been running for at least 10 minutes and you _still_ haven't told me why we are rushing to this meeting!" Tairos shot back.

"There's been some sort of emergency," Baiten said between pants as he wiped sweat from his brow. "The Hell Butterfly didn't tell us much more than that, so we're basically as much in the dark as you are."

"Why is it I can _never_ get a straight answer?" Tairos whined as he sped up his pace to catch up to Jaice and Baiten. Jaice, however, had stopped running since they had reached the meeting area, and Tairos had slammed into his back. The brown-haired Shinigami turned and raised an eyebrow.

"Don't piss me off," Jaice muttered before turning back around to face the other members of the 9th Squad who had gathered for the meeting.

The Shinigami of the 9th Squad had formed a circle around a dais situated in the center of the meeting area. Atop the dais stood a dark-skinned Shinigami, his hair hanging in dreadlocks and a visor over his eyes. He also wore an orange sash, and the handle of his zanpakuto was purple and had a small ring on the end. This Shinigami was Tousen Kaname, the Captain of the 9th Squad. Tousen raised his left hand to silence the crowd of Shinigami who were all speculating on the purpose of the meeting. As the noise died down, Tousen began to speak.

"Shinigami of the 9th Squad, out meeting today is a dire one." Tousen said calmly, his voice low and ominous. "Earlier today, three Shinigami, two from the 10th Squad and one from the 3rd Squad, were found slain in western Seireitei. Though there is no culprit as of yet, closer inspection of their bodies by the physicians of the 4th Squad has revealed that the damage to their bodies was caused by," Tousen paused for emphasis. "A zanpakuto."

Murmurs erupted through the crowd as this information was displayed. "What is going on?" "Who would do such a thing?" "Has Seireitei been infiltrated?" were just some of the many shouts that flew at Tousen. The captain again raised his hand for silence before continuing with his speech.

"As I said, no culprit has been identified, but because of the slash marks found on the victims' bodies, the murderer could be any Shinigami in Seireitei. In order to prevent further murders, 10th Squad Guardians will be posted across Seireitei to watch for suspicious activity." Tousen again paused before continuing. "Also, every Shinigami is under strict orders to remain in his or her quarters unless he or she is on a mission. Shinigami found violating this rule will be imprisoned for interrogations. Any further questions?" The crowd was silent, and after a minute Tousen went on.

"Captain Komamura, a personal friend of mine, has informed me that his 7th Squad will be the heads of the investigation into this crime." Tousen stated. "He has also requested that other squads stay out of the way of his investigation team, who has orders to arrest any Shinigami exhibiting strange behavior or violating the laws. Now if there are no further questions, you are all to report back to your quarters and await further instructions." The Shinigami filed away in clusters, and Tousen himself disappeared in a flash, using one of the many captain level abilities that allows for rapid movement.

"What a load of crap," Jaice growled, spitting on the ground to emphasize his disgust. "There are more BS rules in this place than I care to deal with."

"We'd better hurry back," Baiten said. "If we get caught by the 7th Squad we could be in deep trouble."

"I agree," Tairos said. "It's best not to risk any problems."

"I bet I could take those 7th Squad bums if I wanted to," Jaice sighed as he and his friends headed back to their home.

"Take us, eh?" A voice cut through the air from behind the three Shinigami. They turned to see another Shinigami, obviously from the 7th Squad. He was shorter than Jaice and Tairos, but still several inches taller than Baiten. His hair was dark brown, and he had his zanpakuto hanging from his right hip, a sign that he was left-handed. "It appears I've caught you three violating the rules. Since I'm a nice guy, I'll let you off with a warning, but I'll remember to keep an eye out for you. Next time I won't be so kind."

"There won't be a next time you pompous bastard!" Jaice roared, drawing his zanpakuto.

"Jaice, don't!" Baiten yelled.

"Fighting him will only give him authorization to punish you!" Tairos shot back.

"Screw that! This asshole thinks he can push us around and I won't stand for it!" Jaice charged forward, swinging his zanpakuto at the 7th Squad Shinigami. Faster than lightning, the Shinigami dodged Jaice's attack and drew his own zanpakuto, holding it parallel to the ground in his left hand.

"You've drawn your zanpakuto," The 7th Squad member chuckled. "I not only now have license to arrest you, but also I have the right to kill you if need be."

"Bring it on, windbag!" Jaice yelled, rushing at the 7th Squad Shinigami and jabbing at his seemingly exposed right shoulder. The 7th Squad member chuckled a bit as he again dodged the wide attack, and delivered a light kick to Jaice's back. "You bastard! If you fight me use all your strength!"

"It isn't necessary, I don't need to bother using all my strength because I really don't want to kill you," The 7th Squad member answered.

"Don't patronize me!" Jaice charged again, and this time the 7th Squad Shinigami stood stock still. He raised his zanpakuto to block the incoming attack and began to speak.

"Earlier, you called me a windbag, but you were wrong," the Shinigami of the 7th Squad began. "A more accurate epitaph would be lightning-bag. Shingai, Denkou-doki! (Translation: Shock, Lightning-Wrath!)" The Shinigami cried out, activating the Shikai, or Initial release, of his zanpakuto. The katana became slightly elongated, and wreathed in electricity. It was too late for Jaice to stop his attack, as his own zanpakuto collided with the electrified weapon of the 7th Squad Member.

The electricity conducted up the blade, and coursed through Jaice's body. He screamed and fell to the ground, the skin on his palms charred from the attack. Jaice dropped his own zanpakuto, as Tairos and Baiten rushed to aid him. The 7th Squad Shinigami sheathed his zanpakuto and walked over to the defeated Jaice.

"That was an entertaining fight," the 7th Squad Member said. "Sadly, I need to take you into custody, because of your attempted assault upon me." The Shinigami raised his hands and did a strange sign before pointing them at Jaice. "Way of Binding Number 1, Restrain!" Instantly, Jaice's arms shot behind his back. Tairos sheathed Jaice's zanpakuto for him, and handed it to the 7th Squad member. "Thank you for your compliance," he said to Baiten and Tairos. "Sorry I had to rough up your friend. My name is Shindou by the way, and I hope this little misunderstanding won't lead to any hard feelings. Let's hope your friend can be released, eh?" And with that, Shindou led Jaice away.

Baiten and Tairos rushed home, startled by what had happened. "Jaice is in deep crap this time," Tairos said. "I always knew he'd end up doing something like this."

"Well, perhaps the court will let him off," Baiten answered. "If he makes a testimony that it was self defense…" Baiten thought for a moment and then shook his head. "Then again, that isn't' Jaice's style."

Tairos sighed as he lay on the tatami mat of their Cell's room. "What are we going to do? Jaice me be a bonehead sometimes, but we still need him for missions." As if to answer Tairos, a Hell Butterfly flapped its way through an open window and into the room. Again, it chose to land on Baiten who began to relay the message.

"Baiten Seisha and Tairos Neix of the 9th Squad, you are hereby ordered to attend a trial concerning Jaice Gandaime, a member of your Cell. The trial will commence in two hours at the courthouse in northern Seireitei."


	3. Trials and Tribulations

Chapter 3: Trials and Tribulations

"…and so, your honor, this Shinigami clearly violated the rules of not only curfew, but also behavior." Shindou finished. The trial had been going on for several hours, and with each passing minute things appeared worse and worse for Jaice. Shindou had just completed his closing remarks, and it was Jaice's turn.

"This looks bad," Baiten whispered to Tairos. "I doubt he will be acquitted with all the evidence and laws against him."

"I agree," Tairos answered. "Not gonna lie, but Jaice will look like a prime murder suspect because of this."

Baiten and Tairos, as Jaice's peers, had been asked to sit on the jury, though their two votes would be nothing against the multitude of other Shinigami who sat beside them.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Captain Komamura of the 7th Squad said from atop his podium in the courtroom. Komamura was one of the most mysterious captains in all of Seireitei; he was much taller than any of the other Shinigami and constantly wore a wooden mask to hide his face. It was rumored that since he had become captain that no one, not even the Captain-Commander, had seen Komamura's face.

Jaice sighed and stood up from his seat in the middle of the courtroom. Everyone sat on the edge of their seats as Jaice walked away from his seat and approached Komamura on the podium. "What the hell is he doing?" Someone in the jury whispered.

Jaice ignored the whispers and murmurs as he stood before Komamura. Raising his right arm above his head so the tall Captain could inspect, Jaice pulled back his sleeve. Instantly, Komamura let out a gasp and whispered something to the bailiff that stood beside him. Then, turning to the jury, Komamura began to speak.

"This man, Jaice, is acquitted of his crime, he is to go free," the booming voice of the 7th Squad Captain rang out.

"What?" "How can he do this?" "What's on his arm?" "How can the captain remove the guilt so easily?" The cries of the jury filled the room.

"SILENCE!" Komamura yelled above the din. "My verdict is final; those who argue may wish to hold their tongues lest my zanpakuto become restless." The noise died down as Komamura finished his threat and descended from the podium. "Court dismissed."

As the jury began to file out of the room, Tairos and Baiten rushed over to Jaice who hastily pulled up his sleeve to cover his right arm.

"What was that?" Baiten asked puzzled, but Jaice just snorted.

"At least we don't have to worry about you being penalized or anything," Tairos stated. "Without you our team would lack its murderous-loner archetype." Tairos and Baiten laughed a little at this to lighten the mood, but Jaice glared at them coldly.

"How can you both be so happy?" Jaice inquired.

"No need to be so angry," Baiten responded in an attempt to soothe Jaice's hot blood.

"You'd be angry too if you were assigned a mission after having to stand trial for several hours." Jaice answered curtly.

"WHAT?" Baiten and Tairos gasped, stepping backwards at what Jaice had informed them.

"You two obviously need to pay better attention," Jaice replied. "If you noticed our Captain, Tousen, was also present at this trial. While you two were busy fighting your way through the crowds to reach me, he said we have an assignment to take down some Hollows in the mortal world."

"That's crap," Tairos said, spitting on the courtroom floor to show his disgust. "Where exactly are we going this time?"

"Nowhere special," Jaice drew his zanpakuto and stabbed it into midair to open the gate to the mortal world. "Just some human city known as Montreal."

"Montreal eh? Isn't that French for Royal Mountain?" Baiten said as Jaice pushed him into the portal.

"We can worry about 'fun facts' after we send those Hollows to Hell."

"Damn it, fighting now?" Tairos sighed as he kicked at a pebble on the courtroom floor. "Mind if I skip out this time? I need to relax."

"You were just sitting on your ass watching that trial for a few hours, so no!" Jaice also forced a struggling Tairos into the portal before jumping in himself just as it closed.

"Cool city, literally and figuratively." Tairos cracked a joke as the three Shinigami materialized in Montreal. Around them, the concrete buildings of this city rose up as snow blanketed the bases of these structures. It was winter in this Canadian city, and around the three friends people wore heavy layers as they passed through the streets.

"I don't see the Hollow anywhere around this area, we should move," Jaice commanded. Almost in answer, a screeched pierced the sounds of the city as the ground shook. Screams were heard as a mailbox and streetlamp were crushed by the beast's massive feet and a small earthquake rocked the sidewalk back and forth knocking some of the people to the ground. Despite the damage, the humans did not see the monstrosity commit such actions.

"Jaice, bad things always happen when you say things like that," Tairos sighed as he attempted to take charge. "Jaice, you go protect the civilians while Baiten and I fight off the Hollow…on second thought I'll go save the humans and you two can deal with it." Tairos rushed over to a mother and child who were about to be crushed by the Hollow's foot; grabbing them, Tairos pushed them out of the way just before the massive foot smashed into the sidewalk, sending rubble flying from the crater the movement created. Tairos covered the woman and her child with his body, shielding them from the stones dislodged by the Hollow.

Baiten and Jaice took the initiative and drew their swords to confront the Hollow. It was one of the largest Hollows they had ever seen; at least half as tall as the skyscrapers that surrounded them. The most striking feature of this Hollow was that it had gigantically disproportionate feet and hands, which were easily the size of some of the buses parked on the road. Its mask was a stark white with square eye-holes and a green "X" crossing over its eyes and nostrils. The Hollow turned away from the civilians it had been assaulting and turned to Jaice and Baiten's challenge.

The Hollow clapped its massive hands in the direction of the Shinigami; as the palms collided, a shockwave erupted through the air and smashed Jaice and Baiten into the side of a building. Jaice rose from the impact, but Baiten was knocked out cold, his zanpakuto slipping from his hands to rest in the pool of blood by his feet.

"Baiten!" Tairos cried as he began to push more civilians out of the way from the shockwaves generated by the Hollow's clapping and stomping. "Jaice, let's get out of here before Baiten dies!"

"We can't just let this Hollow run rampant!" Jaice shot back and he rushed at the monster, delivering a swift series of slashes to the creature's arms. It roared in agony as Jaice's blade managed to shear off two of the fingers on its right hand, but the Hollow continued to fight on, kicking Jaice into another building. The force of the attack blasted the Shinigami through a wall, leaving his bloodied body in a pile of concrete. Oddly, the Hollow's fingers began to regenerate and the slashes Jaice had made disappeared. The Hollow turned away, believing its enemy beaten, and turned its eyes towards Tairos.

"I'm not dead yet, bastard," Jaice grunted as he rose from the rubble.

"Jaice you're going to die if you keep fighting in that condition, let me take over," Tairos said, drawing his zanpakuto and walking toward the Hollow. The creature seemed to laugh, and stomped its feet; the resulting quake knocked Tairos to the ground, along with fifteen or so civilians. Tairos managed to stand up, but not for long as the beast slammed its palms and feet into the ground simultaneously, creating a massive shockwave which forced Tairos to the ground a second time; this time, the Shinigami clunked his head on a fire hydrant, leading him to be knocked as Baiten had been.

The Hollow edged closer to Tairos and the injured civilians, licking its pale lips as it readied to consume their souls.

"You have one enemy left," Jaice yelled from behind the Hollow. "My friends might be better at some aspects of being a Shinigami than I am, but the difference among we three is that I'm the first to pick a fight, and the last to lose one."

Its interest piqued, the Hollow looked at Jaice. The Shinigami's brown hair was blowing upward as reiatsu surrounded his body. It walked towards the Shinigami who lunged and sliced off several fingers, only to watch them grow back. The monster laughed, and, for the first time, spoke.

"Pathetic Shinigami, you should realize that being so reliant on my feet and hands would allow me to regenerate part or all of them. Surrender and I promise to kill you quickly."

Jaice replied by laughing hysterically, covering his face to try and hide his humor-filled expression. "Pathetic Hollow, you should realize that Shinigami can do more than just swing swords around."

"I know all about your worthless Kidou," the Hollow replied. "Those weak magic attacks cause little more than an itch to me; I have killed dozens of Shinigami who thought that would counteract my regeneration powers."

"Pff…Kidou?" Jaice chuckled. "That shit isn't my style; long range combat is way too dull for my taste." Jaice raised his zanpakuto above his head and ran his left hand across the blade. "Each Shinigami has a zanpakuto, and each zanpakuto has an individual spirit. This spirit can manifest itself over the sword to give it a special power, and even change the form. The basic version of this can be done by a good deal of Shinigami and is called Shikai, or Initial Release."

"Enough talk!" The Hollow screamed as it stomped towards Jaice. "Any last words?"

"Just two," Jaice replied. "Bleed, Sangren!" Jaice's zanpakuto changed from a katana into a machete, and he jumped into the air as he held his Shikai forward. Jaice delivered another series of slashes at the creature's hands. Again, the monster laughed.

"Weren't you listening? I CAN REGENRATE!" It roared. The wounds, however, did not heal, as a strange green liquid washed over the slashes. Steam rose from the liquid and the Hollow's hands dissolved before its eyes. "WHAT IS THIS?" The Hollow cried as it toppled onto its back.

"Weren't you listening?" Jaice answered as he slashed his machete at the creature's feet, causing both to meet the same fate as its hands. "This is my Shikai, Sangren. That liquid is acid, and is emitted through my blade. When I made the cuts, the acid eats through your cells and continues dissolving them, making regeneration impossible." Jaice raised the machete and pointed to the liquid which ran along the blade. As he did so, some of the acid trickled onto his exposed face to which the Hollow let out another laugh.

"Ha! Now your own weapon will kill you!"

"You Hollows really are narrow-minded," Jaice said as he walked over to the monster, acid still running down his face causing no noticeable damage. "Sangren makes the acid from my own blood; I could bathe in this stuff and it wouldn't do a thing to me!" The Hollow began to shudder as Jaice approached, only able to raise its worthless arms and legs which bore no way of defense. "Now, die!" Jaice brought Sangren down across the Hollow's mask, slashing through the material as the acid ate away what was left of the article. As the mask dissolved, the remainder of the Hollow's body dissipated. Jaice grabbed a communicator from inside his kimono. "I need 4th Squad medics here ASAP, we have two wounded Shinigami and at least a score of injured civilians; mind wipes will also be required, Jaice out."

Two hours (and a lot of healing) later, back at their house…

"Shikai? Awesome dude!" Baiten congratulated Jaice, giving him a high-five.

"Congrats, man," Tairos said, delivering a low-five to Jaice. "But isn't your Shikai supposed to return to being a regular katana after it is deactivated?" Tairos pointed to the machete, no longer dripping with acid, in Jaice's hand.

"I guess not," Jaice said. "There have been other Shinigami who have had their zanpakutos stay released constantly; at least I can control the acid's flow so I don't dissolve things everywhere I walk. Only problem is…the damn thing won't fit in my sheath!"

Author's Note: Sangren is an entirely fictitious name, though it partially comes from a foreign language; feel free to guess in your review! The winner gets a special prize!


	4. Murders, Missions, and Mountains

Chapter 4: Murders, Missions, and Mountains

"Another murder? That makes six this entire week!" Tairos cried out as he finished listening to the Hell Butterfly perched on his finger. "If the killer isn't caught soon one of us might be next!"

"Doesn't matter," Jaice called back as he parried one of Baiten's blows with his machete and wheeled around for a strike of his own, "I'd kill him before he could touch any of us."

"Just because you can do Shikai doesn't mean you own Seireitei," Tairos stated.

"Sure it does!" Jaice yelled as he knocked the katana from Baiten's hands and pointed his machete at his Cellmate's neck. "I win, and I didn't even need to use Shikai. Good effort though." Jaice turned away and began to wrap Sangren in a strip of black leather before tying it to his back. Baiten walked over to where his zanpakuto had been knocked and sheathed it.

"I guess we'd better stay inside like our captain suggested," Baiten interjected. "Like you said, Tairos, any of us could be next on the list."

"The reason I say that is because there is no correlation between the murders," Tairos continued. "Two have been from the 2nd Squad, three from the 6th Squad and one from the 7th Squad. Then again, no member of a higher rank than 4th Seat has been killed…yet."

"I don't think an assassin would want to target a vice-captain or captain," Baiten said. "I doubt they want to risk long drawn out battles; he or she probably favors one-hit-kills, which is why weaker squad members are targeted."

"Then again," Jaice said, "maybe they are killing the weaklings just to make the captains overconfident and not watch their backs."

"It's possible I guess," Tairos answered, "We shouldn't be so nervous though; if we are tense we might just start going crazy. I'm gonna go make some tea, anyone else want some?"

"Sure," Baiten answered.

"I'm in," Jaice added.

Tairos walked into the kitchen of the homestead and put the kettle on the stove to boil. He began to remove the ceramic cups from the pantry along with the tea bags when his mind began to wander. Why the sudden killings? Would he be one of the next slain? How about his friends, were they safe? Would the murderer ever be caught? What are the motives? Why now, of all times?

The whistle of the kettle forced Tairos out of his thoughts. The Shinigami removed the kettle from the stove and added tea leaves to each cup before pouring in the scalding water. He exited the building to the courtyard where Jaice and Baiten sat at a wooden table, deliberating over a game of Shogi.

"Tea's here," Tairos announced, handing a cup to each of his comrades. "Wait a sec before you drink, it's hot."

"Thanks," Baiten said, nudging Jaice under to table with his foot.

"Yeah, thanks, whatever, just let me concentrate on the game!" Jaice shot back before moving his bishop forward. "Check."

Baiten moved a piece and then began sipping his tea. "Good work, Tairos."

Jaice gulped down some tea before throwing the cup to the ground. "What is this shit? It tastes worse than your cooking if that's even possible!"

"Shut up, at least I try unlike some lazy bastards around here," Tairos shot back.

"Look who's calling who lazy! You never even train! That's why you can only use Kidou well!" Jaice growled.

"You're just jealous, because…" Tairos was cut off by Baiten stepping between the two aggravated Shinigami.

"Jaice, Tairos does go to a lot of trouble to prepare meals and snacks for us, so you could at least give him some courtesy. Even if you dislike what he makes, at least be calmer so you don't hurt his feelings and lead us into mindless fighting." Baiten began before turning to Tairos. "And Tairos, please respect Jaice's choices. He'd starve to death without you and he knows it, so just try to not take it so hard."

"Fine then, truce," Jaice said, extending his hand which Tairos shook. Suddenly, a Hell Butterfly flew down and landed on Baiten's finger.

"Let me guess, another mission?" Tairos groaned.

"Bingo," Baiten replied. "We're heading back to Montreal; apparently another Hollow has invaded."

"I hope they make us resident Shinigami and we can guard the city twenty-four seven!" Jaice said excitedly. "Nothing is more fun than carving up Hollows…except beating you two!"

"Enough boasting, let's just go and get this over with," Tairos let out one long, drawn-out sigh as he raised his zanpakuto, stabbed it into the air, and turned it, opening a door to the mortal world which the three Shinigami stepped through.

The sun was setting as the Shinigami exited the portal; they had emerged atop Mount Royal, the famous mountain that overlooked the city that bore its name. Snow coated the ground, and they stood amid a copse of conifers.

"HOLLOW! SHOW YOURSELF SO I CAN CUT YOU UP!" Jaice called out into the darkness, his cry echoing into the night.

"Idiot, we don't want it to know where we are and ambush us!" Tairos yelled at Jaice.

"Your yelling doesn't help either!" Jaice shot back.

Suddenly, a black tentacle shot out of the ground and grabbed Baiten, pulling him underground; Tairos and Jaice, still arguing, were oblivious to their comrade's plight. After a few minutes, Tairos noticed.

"No one is stopping our argument….where's Baiten?" Tairos said, turning away from Jaice to start searching.

As if in answer, another tentacle burst from the ground and grabbed Jaice from behind, wrapping his arms making him unable to strike, and covering his mouth so he couldn't cry out for assistance. Tairos whirled around, only to see Jaice had vanished also.

"Ha ha, very funny guys, seriously knock it off," Tairos called out. "Any second now you two are gonna jump out and say 'Boo' or something, I'll jump in the air, and you two will get a good laugh. Grow up." Tairos drew his zanpakuto. "Come on guys, show yourselves already." A black tentacle crept up behind Tairos, but he turned just in time to see it. He swung his sword with all his might, but the tentacle slammed the weapon and pushed Tairos into a tree.

"So I guess this Hollow is mine alone," Tairos sighed. "I guess this will be some good practice." Tairos jumped into the higher branches of the tree, just in time to avoid a tentacle that was launched at him. He narrowly avoided another which crashed through the limbs, causing pine needles to shower the Shinigami. Tairos sheathed his zanpakuto and extended his right arm with his left arm bent and his left hand place on the joint where the forearm met the elbow of his right arm. "Destructive Art 4! White Lightning!" A beam of electricity shot from Tairos's right hand and cut through one tentacle, severing it. Tairos fired a second blast of the lightning destroying the second tentacle. _If I keep destroying these things, eventually the Hollow will have to surface, and that is when I make my death blow, _Tairos thought.

Tairos was proven correct, as the ground began to shake and a Hollow that resembled a lizard with tentacles for arms emerged. The Hollow's mask was white with yellow curves around the mouth and nose holes. It had six remaining tentacles, two of which held an unconscious Baiten and Jaice. The two tentacles Tairos had severed rose from the ground and inched their way back to the Hollow's body, reattaching themselves.

Tairos rushed away from the tentacles that pursued him. "Destructive Art 4! White Lightning!" he declared again, this time severing the tentacles which held Jaice and Baiten. His two friends dropped to the ground, still knocked out, but temporarily safe from the crushing tentacles.

The Hollow's tentacles seemed to reach Tairos wherever he rushed. "These things just keep growing!" He growled, turning past a rocky outcropping and temporarily cutting a tentacle with his kidou. _I could probably kill him in one hit if I could quickly cut off all eight tentacles and send a single Shot of Red Fire at him, _Tairos thought. _Three of his tentacles are already down, but they are moving to reattach. I can't waste time or reiatsu incinerating the tentacles; I need to risk it. _

"Ye Lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, March on to…" Before Tairos could finish the incantation, two tentacles buffeted him. He deftly drew his katana, luckily managing to sever one and block the other. By this time, sadly, the three severed tentacles had reattached.

_I can't do it, I just can't do it,_ Tairos thought, his mind racing. _I can never sever them all and have time to chant! I am going to die! Jaice and Baiten are going to die too! I am too weak! Why didn't I train when they asked me? _

"ARG!" Tairos yelled in anguish. Power seemed to surge inside Tairos, as he raised his zanpakuto before him. "Balance, Librar!" The zanpakuto transformed as its shikai activated; the blade elongated and became wood, and in moments the sword had become a staff. A bronze statue in the shape of a frog rested on one end. Something inside Tairos began to speak to him, telling him that he could fire his kidou.

_Without chanting? My Shot of Red Fire will be harmless to such an immense Hollow! _He said to himself.

_Not with Librar's power in your hands_, the response came.

_Even so, I don't have enough reiatsu to use it, _Tairos said inwardly.

_Librar can help with that as well._

A white beam siphoned from the Hollow and shot towards Librar, moving up through the staff and then into Tairos himself. The Hollow seemed to slow, its tentacles becoming sluggish. "I stole its reiatsu!" Tairos gasped. He then pointed his staff at the monster's mask. "Destructive Art 31! Shot of Red Fire!" The blast of crimson flame erupted from the end of Tairos's staff and shot straight at the Hollow. The creature summoned the last of its strength to raise its tentacles to block the blast. The attack's power, however, was too great, and the tentacles were incinerated along with the Hollow's body.

Tairos's staff returned to being a normal katana which he sheathed as he rushed over to Baiten and Jaice. "I did all the work for once," he grinned as the two awoke.

"Whatever, let's just head back…" Jaice moaned. "I need a nap…"

"I agree…" Baiten groaned, staggering to his feet. Tairos nodded and drew his sword, turning it again to re-open the gate which the three Shinigami, two stumbling, one strutting, walked through.


	5. Light and Justice

Chapter 5: Light and Justice

Baiten was up early, but that was the norm among their Cell. Tairos had insomnia, but he usually drifted off to bed after midnight and woke up late in the day. Jaice didn't sleep.

"Shit," Jaice greeted Baiten.

"What a nice way to say 'good morning,'" Baiten said back, a sarcastic tone in his voice.

"I meant this coffee," Jaice said, motioning to the cup in his hand. "As much as I hate to admit it, Tairos is the only person I know who can brew it right."

Baiten chuckled a little. "Yeah, too bad he's been sleeping three-quarters of the day since our last mission. I think it took a lot out of him."

"Yeah, and for the few hours he is awake all he does is eat and brag about his Shikai," Jaice replied curtly. "What he doesn't realize is if he spared with me, Sangren would rip up his little Librar!"

Baiten got silent as Jaice finished. "What's the matter with you?" Jaice asked, as Baiten walked back into their living quarters.

"I...I...I'd better get breakfast," Baiten mumbled as he opened the screen door.

"Answer me, damn it!" Jaice growled, rushing after Baiten. "We're a team, and that means telling your team mates what is the matter!" Baiten continued to be silent as he poured himself a glass of orange juice. "Selfish bastard," Jaice muttered as he turned away and stepped back outside.

_I'm always getting the short end of the stick_, Baiten thought as he munched on a bagel. _I train harder than Tairos yet he still masters his Shikai before I do. At this rate, Jaice and Tairos will be upgraded to more difficult missions while I get left behind. I guess I shouldn't complain, things have been like this before._ His musing were cut off by a long, loud yawn coming from the bedroom adjacent to the kitchen.

"Wow, so the lazy bum finally decides to rise and shine," Jaice joked as Tairos stumbled into the room. Jaice thrust his coffee mug into Tairos's hands. "I take mine black, as you know."

"What the f...?" Tairos mumbled as he rubbed his eyes, not even finishing his sentence as he yawned again. Jaice's mug slipped from Tairos's tired fingers and shattered on the floor.

"You stupid clumsy jackass!" Jaice cursed, smacking Tairos across the back of the head. "That mug was a gift from my girlfriend!"

"Ex-girlfriend, loser," Tairos shot back, waking up more fully after the blow. "She broke up with you, remember?"

_It wasn't mutual, _Baiten thought, _so you know it's a bad idea to bring it up Tairos. Why do you always have to say things like this? Now they are going to fight...again..._

"Only one way to settle this!" Jaice yelled, stamping his foot. "You versus me, right now, in a fight. First one to draw blood, knock the other out, or cause the other to surrender wins."

"Uh...no," Tairos yawned again. "It's back to bed for me." Tairos disappeared again into the bedroom and fell asleep despite Jaice's angry cries.

"Who does he think he is, anyway? Not making me coffee, breaking my mug, and insulting me!" Jaice moaned. Baiten continued to eat his bagel silently. "You could respond!" Jaice shot at Baiten.

"You guys need to fight less," Baiten said as he finished his meal and placed his plate and glass in the sink for later. "I'm going out. Send me a call if you need me."

Baiten wandered various streets in Seireitei for several hours. He was silent, only giving the occasional greeting to Shinigami he passed. Then, the cellphone, which all Shinigami carry, in his pocket began to shake. Baiten looked at the screen, read the message, and cursed mentally:

_You idiot, did you forget about the new law? We need to stay home unless we are on official business! Get back now! Oh, and if you can, pick up some cookies on your way back._

_-Tairos_

_P.S. Jaice says "hi"..._

Baiten seized the moment and began to walk quickly back towards their household. Luckily, he did not encounter any members of the 7th Squad on his way home. Baiten cursed inwardly again as he entered the front door of the house: _how pathetic, I can't even remember a simple law! If it wasn't for Tairos I would have probably be incarcerated! Maybe I don't deserve my Shikai...those two are obviously more on the ball than I am..._

Baiten's moping was cut short by a loud cry of, "You didn't get the cookies did you?"

"No...Tairos..." Baiten mumbled as he headed back into his room. "I need some time alone." With that he shut the door, leaving Tairos and Jaice outside, puzzled.

Baiten lay on his bed, closing his eyes and letting out one long, slow breath. He began to flashback to all the missions his team had accomplished, remembering the times he had actually been of value. Then, a scream cut short Baiten's musings.

"Baiten, your services are required!" Jaice's voice cut through the door.

"In a minute!" Baiten called back, forcing himself out of bed and walking into the other room. He noticed a Hell Butterfly perched on Jaice's finger.

"Translation please?" Tairos joked.

"Why can't you do it, Tairos?" Baiten snapped. "You have much higher reiatsu than I do, and better control at that."

"Slow down buddy, it's just a task you seem to be suited for," Tairos answered.

"Suited for? Is this all I'm good for anymore? Oh I see now," Baiten fumed, "you need me for the menial things, am I right?"

"No need to get so damned defensive!" Tairos yelled. "I didn't mean anything by it!"

"Yeah, Baiten!" Jaice agreed. "You usually are the one to do this, Tairos wasn't saying you have no other skills or anything!"

"Fine, but I'm doing this because I have to, not because I want to," Baiten grumbled, extending the pointer finger of his right hand so the enchanted insect could land.

"Are we going to Montreal again?" Jaice asked, eagerly anticipating the cold weather.

"Not this time," Baiten relayed, "we're headed to Texas actually, Galveston to be precise."

"Okay guys, let's move out," Tairos said, drawing his zanpakuto and twisting is like a key to open the door to the human world. The three shinigami stepped through it, and arrived at their destination.

The city was of moderate size, with a large seafront and port in contrast to most cities in Texas. There were no skyscrapers, and few buildings towered more than four stories. It was only a few hours after midnight, so no people were on the streets. The waxing moon was almost half full, and managed to cast a decent amount of light upon the city.

As usual, the three did not have time to admire the scenery. A serpentine Hollow rushed from the water and lunged at the Shinigami. The three narrowly dodged and drew their zanpakutos, readying themselves for combat.

"Bleed, Sangren!" Jaice declared, unwrapping the machete across his back. The green acid oozed down the blade as he slashed at the Hollow. The creature dodged, but the force of Jaice's swing sent some of the acid flying into the air. The Hollow writhed in agony as the acid hit its skin, but it jumped back into the water, washing off the deadly liquid. "Damn it all! A water-based Hollow! Unless we can draw it away from water my Shikai is no good!"

"Let me try," Tairos said, readying his zanpakuto. "Balance, Li..." He was cut short as the Hollow rushed from the water and slammed with its tail. Tairos flew head first into a crane on the pier, and lost consciousness.

"Damn," Jaice cursed, jumping into the way of the beast's second blow. "Baiten, do something!"

Baiten stood stock still, his zanpakuto held loosely at his side. He watched in shock as the Hollow's tail raced at Jaice.

"Come on, you hideous snake," Jaice snickered, as the monster's tail slammed him into the crane as well, along with Tairos's limp form.

Baiten was paralyzed with fear. _I let them down_, he thought. _They are going to die...we all are! If only I wasn't so weak I could do something! No, I'm not weak! Not having a Shikai doesn't make me weak, not saving my friends makes me weak!_ Baiten, with new resolve, rushed to block the third blow of the Hollow. Luckily, his was quick and managed, with remarkable skill, to deflect the attack.

The Hollow roared wrathfully, and wheeled around in the water to face its head towards Baiten. This time it lunged face first towards Baiten and his unconscious companions, its mouth gaping wide to reveal three rows of monstrous teeth beneath its pale mask.

_I can't block this attack,_ Baiten thought, _Nor can I dodge, as that would leave my friends to their deaths. There's only one chance._ Baiten whirled around and slashed madly at the crane that was above his friends, just before the Hollow reached them. Surprisingly, Baiten was able to sever the crane which toppled onto the Hollow, temporarily stunning it.

Baiten used the moment he had to sheath his zanpakuto, grab Jaice and Tairos and move them behind a building where the Hollow would not find them. Baiten panted hard as he walked back to the pier and again drew his katana.

The sea serpent-like Hollow had managed to shake off the crane as Baiten returned, and prowled around the bay, gnashing its teeth as if in challenge to the Shinigami. Baiten nodded, and rushed at the creature, sword held at the ready. Baiten narrowly dodged as the beast bit at him; he replied by driving his zanpakuto into its side. _It doesn't seem like it can dodge after I leave its line of sight, _Baiten realized. _Its eyes are on the very front of its head, so it shouldn't see side attacks coming. _

Baiten was wrong. The Hollow seemed pleased that Baiten had fallen for its trap, as it whirled its tail and smash him away from its body before he could do any more damage. _Obviously, his eyes have a better range than I expected. I have to blind him...but how? He can see where I am attacking from._

Baiten could not continue to think; the Hollow was once again rushing towards him. He tried to dodge, but still was hit by partial force which knocked him to the ground. Baiten rose and slashed at the monster, but his attack was in vain, missing the Hollow by a wide margin as it dodged. The Hollow then brought its tail around and Baiten was again smashed into the earth.

By this time, Baiten's body was bloodied and beaten. He let out long, difficult breaths and coughed up blood as he forced himself to stand. "Hollow, I am Baiten Seisha of the 9th Squad, and I will kill you!" The Hollow took no notice of his words as it rushed at him. Suddenly, Baiten felt a surge of power coursing through his body, in his mind words began to tell him what to do. "Judge, Justare!" Baiten's katana morphed into a long, elegant rapier. The blade was thin, but keen, and the handle and hilt were inlaid with gold. As Baiten's blade transformed, Baiten held it sideways so that the blade was parallel to the ground beneath him. The morning sun began to rise behind the Hollow as it raced towards Baiten, ignoring his new sword. The sun's light seemed to be absorbed into Justare's blade, and Baiten held it steady. As the Hollow came closer, Baiten once again declared, "Judge!" The light of the sun that had been absorbed into the blade flew forth towards the Hollow. There was no way the beast could dodge such an attack, and it writhed angrily as the light went into the eye-holes in its mask.

_Now that it's blind, time to make my move!_ Baiten noted. _I'm not sure if my Shikai's effect is permanent or not, so I'd better make the most of the time I have! _Baiten ran faster than he ever had, and stabbed his rapier through the center of the Hollow's mask. The monster continued to scream as it dissipated, into nothingness.

Baiten watched, pleased, as Justare returned to being a katana; he sheathed his blade and walked back to the building where he had left his friends. _I don't think I should tell them about my Shikai just yet,_ Baiten thought. _I dislike bragging, and I'd rather they be surprised when they see it. _


	6. No Joe: Jaice's Coffee Crisis

Chapter 6: No Joe: Jaice's Coffee Crisis

"Say it again, slowly," Jaice said, trying to hide his anger.

"We are out of coffee," Baiten said, showing him the empty coffee pot and coffee box.

"No no no, how can this have happened?" Jaice said rapidly. "We just got a new box last week!"

"Jaice...I hate to be the bearer of bad news," Baiten said, "but that was actually three weeks ago, you probably just lost track of time when you were recovering from our last mission."

Jaice moaned, and headed to the door. "I'll go pick some up at the store down the street."

"Jaice, no!" Baiten cried out. "Remember how I left the house last week and you two called me back? We can't go out unless it's official business."

"You worry too much; no one will mind," Jaice replied calmly.

"When you get caught again, don't think I'm going to save you," Baiten said matter-of-factly.

"I won't get caught," Jaice laughed as he headed out the door. "I'll also get the cookies that you forgot about."

Baiten stood, shaking his head. _Tairos left earlier for some reason and now Jaice is gone. I have the whole house to myself. I might as well use this time to catch up on some shut-eye._ Baiten headed to his room and flopped down onto the bed.

Jaice walked carefully through the streets of Seireitei, hiding behind building after building whenever he thought another Shinigami might be nearby. _I am about four blocks away from the store,_ Jaice thought, staying vigilant for patrols from the 7th Squad. _On a normal day, I could reach the shop in about five minutes from this position, but today it seems that time may triple. Dang it I need my caffeine!_

Jaice's thoughts were interrupted by a loud conversation he heard coming from around the corner; the voices were accompanied by heavy footsteps. Jaice ducked into an alleyway and hid behind a wooden crate as he waited for the voices and footfalls to pass.

_Nice one,_ he thought, _maybe I should change to the black ops division. Jaice the Silent and Sangren, I like the sound of that. _Jaice shook his head, snapping himself out of his thoughts and back into reality. _I have a job to do._

Jaice raced down the street, the shop in view, but suddenly had his way blocked by another Shinigami. He was short, barely reaching Jaice's chest, with scruffy blond hair that appeared as if it had never been washed. He wore an armband that marked him as a member of the 7th Squad.

"H...halt!" The Shinigami stammered. "Y...you cannot be here without official b..b...business! St...state why you a...are h..here or I will b...be f...forced to use force." He managed to blurt out.

"ARE YOU QUESTIONING MY AUTHORITY?" Jaice yelled, causing the shorter Shinigami to quiver and take a step back. "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? DO YOU?"

"N...no sir, but that d...doesn't matter," The 7th Squad member replied. "If you don't have official business, I c...can't let you p...pass!"

"YOU DAMN FOOL!" Jaice roared. "LET ME BY!"

"S...sir, if you continue l...like th...this I w...will call my superiors, and y...you won't w...want to deal with them."

Jaice growled, but realized he could not dare face an officer, or even Captain Komamura if he was especially unlucky. Also, this event would make him even more of a prime suspect as the murderer, so Jaice did what he had to. Grabbing his sleeve, he pulled it up to reveal his bare arm.

"I apologize!" The Shinigami squeaked as Jaice covered his arm. "You may pass!"

"Thanks," Jaice mumbled, pushing the short Shinigami aside and entering the shop. There was nothing particularly spectacular about the shop; the floor was bare wood, with shelves of the same material lining the walls. At the back of the building was a counter, behind which an elderly female Shinigami sat, polishing a pair of eyeglasses. Jaice, having come here many times before, walked to the fifth shelf on the left wall of the shop, grabbed a box of coffee and a bag of cookies. He walked toward the counter, stop, wheeled in place, and walked back to the shelf to grab another box of precious Java.

"Ah, young Gandaime," the woman said as Jaice walked up to the counter, "how have you been?"

"Well enough," Jaice answered curtly. "I'm buying these," he said, indicating the coffee and cookies he had placed on the counter. The clerk nodded and rung up his purchases; Jaice placed the exact amount of money on the counter before she could tell him the price.

"H...how?" She stammered, picking up the money as he walked out.

"With the amount of times I've been here, you think I haven't memorized the prices?" Jaice answered, walking out the door. The woman stood, shrugged, and went back to cleaning her glasses.

"Sweet sweet coffee!" Jaice cheered, strutting out of the store. "I've got to get home quick so I can make some!" Jaice rushed off, his eyes closed in jubilation. Suddenly, Jaice bumped into something, causing him to drop his purchases. He opened his eyes to see the short Shinigami from earlier; the 7th Squad member shrieked and ran off, trying to escape Jaice as quickly as he could. "Not the reaction I'd prefer, but it gets him out of my way at least," Jaice muttered as he picked up the cookies and coffee he had dropped. As he stood up, a katana blade pressed itself against his throat.

"And what are you doing here?" A deep voice boomed. Jaice looked up to see a tall, fat Shinigami standing over him, also with a 7th Squad armband. His hair was similar to that of the short Shinigami that Jaice had seen seconds previous, though it was longer and tied in a ponytail. "I saw my little brother running away from you, and I began to wonder...why?"

"I am gathering supplies to supplement myself before a mission," Jaice responded. "Now get out of my way, I need to get home."

"Oh no, you aren't going home," the fat Shinigami replied. "You are coming to see my superior, 4th Seat..."

"I don't have time for this," Jaice groaned, standing up and pushing the katana away with his hand. "How about this, I give you a cookie and we pretend you never saw me?"

"What do you take me for, some fat oaf who can be bought off by a circle of dough and chocolate chips?"

"Yeah, you look the part," Jaice answered, insult clear in his voice.

"You bastard!" The 7th Squad member growled. "First you scare my brother, and then you insult me! And you're breaking the law! You are going to pay!" Jaice stepped back, avoiding a swipe of his assailant's sword.

"You also are breaking the law," Jaice said, seemingly unaffected by the assault. "Enforcers are not allowed to use force to apprehend their targets unless the target resists physically or with kidou. I might as well report you; I think swinging a sword at an unarmed opponent is a bit more of a crime than going to buy some food."

"N...no!" The Shinigami stammered, reminding Jaice of his stuttering brother. "D...don't report m...me! Let's c..call it even, ok?"

"Done," Jaice answered, walking away. He arrived at the house a few minutes later, and promptly began to make his coffee. He drank the thick brown liquid and smiled; this was bliss...

"So...how was the shopping?" Baiten's voice broke the silence.

"Uneventful."

Character Profile: Jaice Gandaime

Age: Unknown (appears 21 in human years)

Height: 182.88cm (6 feet 0 inches)

Affiliation: 9th Squad

Rank: Basic Shinigami (unseated)

Hobbies: Modeling, hiking, sparring, tae-kwon-do, reading, writing.

Zanpakuto: Sangren

Shikai: Sangren takes the form of a machete and is constantly in its released form; Jaice keeps it wrapped in a layer of cloth when not in use. The blade emits acid when Jaice declares "Bleed"; the acid is partially composed of Jaice's blood, meaning it cannot affect Jaice. Sangren's acid can melt many substances, including stone and some types of metal.


	7. Baiten's Dating Diaries

Chapter 7: Baiten's Dating Diaries

Author's Note: I'd like to thank my good friend Tsabo-Tvoc: Phyrexian General for some of his ideas for Jaice's lines in this chapter; I'd also like to thank him for putting up with my constant lists of ideas for my fics. Now, on with the chapter!

"...and then we got to the best part," Tairos said excitedly, continuing his story. Baiten and Jaice rolled their eyes; it was just like always.

"Is this part going to be true?" Baiten questioned. Tairos had told them stories about his dates many times in the past, and Jaice and Baiten were pretty sure that the majority of the tales weren't true.

"Yes, Baiten," Tairos sighed, "why don't you every believe anybody?"

"It's mainly you I question," Baiten replied.

"Yeah, you have been known to lie a good portion of the time," Jaice agreed.

"I don't lie _that_ much," Tairos said, his voice defensive, "I bend the truth and tell stories."

"That's called lying, my friend," Jaice said.

"Whatever, it doesn't hurt anyone," Tairos replied confidently. "Besides, at least I can get women." Tairos directed his gaze at Baiten was he said that line.

Baiten glared back, his eyes set like cold stone. "I'd rather be single than tell lies to get someone to use only to fulfill my urges, rather than someone I really cared about."

"Shut up! I care about her!" Tairos shot back.

"Yeah right, you only care how good she is..." Baiten was cut off by Jaice.

"Shut the Hell up both of you! I can't take this damn fighting!" Jaice roared, stomping his left foot on the ground for emphasis.

"Whatever, Baiten is just sore because he can't get a girl," Tairos said snidely.

"I can!" Baiten called back.

"Fine then, prove it!" Tairos answered.

"I will, starting now. By the end of the week I'll have gotten a girl," Baiten said.

"Fine, agreed," Tairos answered, shaking Baiten's hand to seal the deal. "Gentleman's Bet." With that, Tairos retired to his room for the night.

"So...know anyone I could date, Jaice?" Baiten asked.

"Baiten trying to play dirty, eh? Asking someone else to set him up?" Jaice answered, raising an eyebrow.

"Not exactly playing dirty," Baiten replied, "just looking for any advantage I can get; this is a bet after all."

"Only a bet about honor," Jaice said, "though I know you value that, so let's see what I can do. Well, first off, I don't know that many single people, but let's start with what I do know. Matsumoto in the 10th Squad, too good for you. That girl Soifon in the 2nd Squad, lesbian. Hinamori in the 5th Squad, has a thing for her Captain. The vice-captain of the 12th Squad, Nemu...she's just plain creepy! So basically, I've got nothing."

"Thanks," Baiten groaned, "I guess I really am starting from square one."

"Well, I'll look around and see if I can find anyone single," Jaice said.

"Thanks, but of course I'd better look too," Baiten said. "Crap I forgot! We can't leave unless we have official business! How am I even going to meet anyone?"

"Not a problem," Jaice grinned, "let's just say I've learned a few tricks. Here, take this," Jaice tossed Baiten a plain white envelop. "If you get into a pinch, show this to someone. Be warned, though, 'cause it will only work for this week."

"That's oddly convenient," Baiten replied, "thanks, Jaice. Well, I guess I'd better hit the town!" Baiten rushed out the door, energy filling him, sensing that happiness and triumph were in his near future, that he could strike success at any moment. And since, at that moment, to Baiten, a woman was the equivalent of success, strike it he did!

"S...sorry!" Baiten stammered, stepping back from the figure he hit.

"It's fine, just watch where you're going in the future. Running around randomly isn't exactly a good idea." A feminine voice replied. Baiten looked up to see a female Shinigami; she was slightly shorter than him, with shoulder-length black hair, a deep tan, and dark brown eyes.

_Wow, she's beautiful!_ Was Baiten's initial thought as he looked over this pristine woman he had literally bumped into. _But...what chance do I have with someone like her? _

"Uh...you alright buddy?" She said, snapping Baiten out of his trance. "Or are you just going to stand and stare all day?"

"Sorry!" Baiten replied, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm a bit sleepy, so I spaced out."

"Right, sure," she said, turning to leave. "I guess I might see you around."

"Wait!" Baiten called. "I didn't properly introduce myself; I'm Baiten Seisha of the 9th Squad."

"9th Squad? Aren't they ones who have the prime suspects for the murders going on? Another four bodies were found just this morning." She answered.

"No! I'm not a murderer!" Baiten said, stunned.

"Hah, I was just kidding," she said, smiling sadistically, "I just wanted to scare you. I'm actually involved in the investigation myself."

"So...you're in the 7th Squad then?"

"12th, actually."

_The 12th Squad? The Bureau of Technological Development? Arg, that's the squad full of weirdos like that Captain Mayuri,_ Baiten thought, shivering. _I mean, she looks normal enough, but there must be something wrong with her. She probably is half machine or something...no wonder she looks too good to be true!_

"Well what exactly are you doing for the investigation?" Baiten asked calmly, trying to probe and see if she really was normal.

"That's classified information," She answered curtly. "I'd better get going, I have to deliver something."

"Oh, well," Baiten bit his lip and then blurted out the next line, "mind if I walk you there?" There was a pause, which seemed to last a century for Baiten but in reality was only a few seconds.

"Um...no thanks, I can't really let you follow into the investigation headquarters."

"Please?"

"No, that's final," She said soundly before turning to walk away.

"Wait one more second, please!" Baiten called after her.

"What is it this time?" She moaned.

"I don't even know your name," Baiten said, "I'm sure it's as pretty as your face."

She looked slightly taken aback at first, but then cracked a small smile and responded, "Arda Codestum." She then raced off, leaving Baiten alone in the street.

_'Name as pretty as your face,' what were you thinking you idiot? You just screwed up your chances with a gorgeous, intelligent girl! Nice going! _Baiten mentally growled. He kicked at a stone in the street, continuing to mentally curse his words.

Baiten strode along the street silently for a few minutes, thinking about what he had just said, and about how he needed to be more cautious if he was going to succeed in finding a date. Without warning, three shadowed figures surrounded Baiten.

"Baiten Seisha, you are under arrest for suspicion of being involved in the string of recent murders," one of the voices, crackling like dry timber, called out from the darkness.

"B...but I'm innocent!" Baiten stammered. "I've done nothing wrong!"

"You were on the streets without reason," another voice, high and melodic, stated. "Thus you have no alibi."

"Yes I do! Here," Baiten withdrew the envelope Jaice had given him and handed it to a pale palm that extended from the darkness. Another hand appeared to unfold it, and Baiten muttered swears as he saw what it said.

_Please excuse my friend Baiten, he's just looking for some love. Signed, Jaice Gandaime. _

"Is this some sort of...joke?" The third voice, which had a medium tone and seemed emotionless.

"Well, uh," Baiten searched for a way to protect himself, and finally decided on the truth. "I was just out here trying to find a date and..." Laughter erupted from the shadowed Shinigami.

"Oh, that's hilarious!" The gravelly voice choked, trying to contain its booming laughter. "Where were you going to take her? A secluded alleyway to slice off her head?"

"Or how about a nice stroll by the river...so you could push her in!" The high voice chortled.

"Enough, let's be serious," the emotionless voice stated. "Baiten, you will either come with us for further questioning or you can be cut down right here as a fugitive. We of the 7th Squad have license to kill anyone we suspect as an outlaw."

"He's no outlaw," A feminine, yet stern voice rang out. "He got separated from me; we were going to deliver something to Captain Mayuri when we got separated by the darkness. I've been searching for him for awhile." Baiten turned to see Arda standing beside him. "The date excuse was just a cover we were using for our mission."

"3rd Seat Codestum! We apologize!" The three voices said simultaneously; Baiten could see their silhouettes bowing apology in the darkness.

_3rd Seat? _Baiten thought, amazed. _I didn't realize she had _that _high of a rank! She must be impressive! And why is she looking out for me anyway?_

"You three are dismissed, return to your patrol." Arda said. "You are doing well, continue you work."

"Yes m'am!" The three cried before rushing off.

"Thanks," Baiten said, turning to Arda, "you saved my life."

"Don't mention it," She replied.

"How did they know where and who I was anyway?" He asked.

"I...tipped them off," she murmured. "I thought you might be murderer, and we can't be too careful."

"So...you saved me because you felt bad?"

"No, I saved you because I checked out your files and I found you are probably the least likely suspect for the murder."

"Heh, thanks," Baiten said.

"I understand if you won't forgive me," Arda answered, "but considering circumstances, it was my duty."

"No, I understand completely," Baiten said. "I owe you one."

"You don't owe me anything," Arda said calmly. "Just go home."

Something came over Baiten, and he said it so hurriedly he didn't realize what he had said until he had finished speaking. "Would you like to go out sometime?" There was a pause before Arda gave him an odd look.

"Uh...no," she said rapidly. "I have to go, I have work to do on the case. Bye." She rushed off, leaving Baiten alone in the darkness.

"So, how did it go?" Jaice asked nonchalantly as Baiten entered the door, a sullen look upon his face.

"Not well," Baiten sighed, "that note was a big help by the way."

"Well, somehow you got out fine, eh?"

"Yeah, luckily."

"Anyway, don't be so gloomy," Jaice answered. "I found a date for you."

"Really?"

"Yeah," at that they heard a knock on the door. "That's him."

"Him?" Baiten looked confused as the door opened to reveal a grinning male Shinigami with blonde hair, holding a bouquet of roses.

"JAICE!" Baiten yelled.

"What? You never said it had to be a girl!"

Character Profile: Baiten Seisha

Age: Unknown (appears 22 in human years)

Height: 177.8 cm (5 feet 10 inches)

Affiliation: 9th Squad

Rank: Basic Shinigami (unseated)

Hobbies: Modeling, fencing (foil), kendo, writing, reading.

Zanpakuto: Justare

Shikai: Justare takes the form of a rapier when released. Justare absorbs light in the area and releases it in a concentrated blast when Baiten declares "Judge"; the light is capable of temporarily or even permanently blinding the opponent. Despite its size, Justare is a fairly resilient sword that can take more damage than expected before breaking.


	8. Tairos's Trouble, Work Woes!

Chapter 8: Tairos's Trouble, Work Woes!

Tairos awoke one morning, put on his kimono, strapped his zanpakuto, Librar, to his belt, and then slipped a hand into the folds of his robe before leaving his house. His hand moved slowly at first, then rapidly flitted through the folds of the black cloth, searching desperately for some object. Finally, Tairos's hand slowed and he breathed a sigh of relief after finally withdrawing his wallet. The small, brown leather packet was embossed with the image of a frog in neon green thread on the outside surface, a symbol believed to bring someone good luck with money (Author's Note: There is a superstition in Japan that carrying the image of a frog on or in your wallet will bring you monetary prosperity). Tairos smiled as he opened the wallet, and was horrified at what he found.

"I'm...broke?" Tairos cried, his resounding scream seeming to shake the structure of the house he had just left. Tairos ran back inside to find Baiten sharpening a kitchen knife to get it ready to slice vegetables for the lunch he was about to prepare.

"Baiten! You've got to help me!" Tairos said hurriedly, rushing over to his friend.

Baiten turned slowly, turning upward to look at the face of his taller companion. "Money, again?" Baiten sighed.

"No!" Tairos started, before realizing his mistake and replying, sullenly, "yes..."

Baiten let out a long breath and put down the knife and sharpener. "What for? I don't have much as is, and I am trying to save up for..."

"You don't understand, Baiten! There's this great girl I need to show around Seireitei! I'll pay you back, I promise!"

"Like how you paid me back the last four times?" Baiten asked cynically, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, I paid you for at least two of those!"

"One, actually," Baiten answered. "The other time you are thinking of is when you paid back Jaice."

"Oh yeah," Tairos mused. "But still, you know I'm good for it!"

"Hm..." Baiten pondered, stroking his chin with his right hand as if in deep contemplation. "How about I teach you the secret to getting money."

"Oh no, this better not be some crappy joke," Tairos groaned.

"Only kind of," Baiten replied. "Three words: get a job!" Tairos stepped back, shuddering slightly. He stood silent for a few minutes, Baiten staring into his eyes with a determined glance. "Well, what are you waiting for?" Baiten asked.

"Fine..." Tairos moaned as he stepped out the doorway. "I guess I will go _try_ to find work since my _best friend_ isn't willing to lend me a few measly coins..." Before Tairos stepped out, he wheeled around and pulled out a sentence. "Ah ha! My trump card! I can't get a job, Baiten, because we aren't allowed out of our Squad housing except for an emergency or a mission."

"Oh, Tairos, didn't you hear?" Baiten answered. "The number of murders had drastically decreased; there used to be as many as two a day, but now they've slacked to only one a week for some reason. Accordingly, the curfew laws and restrictions have been reduced to try and return Seireitei to a better semblance of order. Therefore, there is still a curfew starting at nightfall, but now you are allowed to leave home for other reasons. Oh, and weren't you going to leave the house anyway to see this girl, rules or not?"

"Damn," Tairos grunted. "You've got me, Baiten. Well, I guess I'm off to find a job then."

"Good luck!" Baiten called after Tairos, who slammed the door on the way out, mumbling about worthless friends not loaning him anything. As Tairos left, the door to the Shinigamis' bedroom burst open and Jaice walked out.

"Trying to teach Tairos a life lesson again, Baiten?" Jaice said.

"He needs one a week, right?" Baiten replied, grinning widely. "Now, how about helping me make lunch?"

Tairos continued to groan and mumble as he walked along the streets of the 9th Division's District. He grumbled as he kicked a rock before him again and again. Eventually, he came to a shop; it was a large building, built in the Japanese style similar to that of his house. It was larger, however, and had a green cloth canopy over the entrance and many windows displaying various pieces of furniture. Tairos also noticed the reason this store would be of some value to him: a white paper sign in the window read, "Help Wanted!" in bold, red letters.

"Awesome," Tairos said, walking through the shop's oaken door. The shop seemed like a regular furniture shop: chairs, tables, stools, couches, and various other constructions were scattered about the room. There was a counter at the far end of the room behind which a gruff looking Shinigami stood; his hair was spiky and dyed green, and his face bore dozens of scars.

"What d' ya want?" The green haired Shinigami growled as he Tairos strode in.

"Hello, my name is Tairos Naix and I saw that you're in need of assistance," Tairos replied, indication the help wanted sign behind him with a wave of a thumb. "I'd like a job, please."

"Ya think ya can handle it?" The Shinigami answered, his voice dripping with scorn. "What are your credentials? Do you have a resume?"

Tairos looked puzzled before speaking. "I worked at a candy shop part-time for a few years before I became a full-time Hollow slayer."

"Ha! Selling furniture is a lot more difficult than killing Hollows," Tairos's potential employer said.

"I doubt that," Tairos answered chuckling.

"That was no joke, boy," The Shinigami mumbled. "Fighting a Hollow may risk your life, but it's a simple matter; you drive your zanpakuto into their mask and boom, it dies. Selling furniture requires appealing to customers, having knowledge of products, and pleasing them enough so that they buy your wares." He paused before continuing. "Don't question my knowledge. You can see the scars on my face and know that I've fought dozens of Hollows, and if you look at my hands you'll see callouses to prove that I've been building furniture for nigh two hundred years."

"If you're so skilled why do you need help at all?" Tairos asked.

"Simple," The Shinigami sighed, "faces sell better than the products do at times. When someone walks into the store and sees me, they may be somewhat frightened and thus too nervous to talk to me, causing me to lose a sale. If a 'handsome' fellow like you manned the counter and handled the sales aspect, while I built and repaired the furniture, things would be much better."

"So, you're saying I can have the job?"

"Basically, yes, but if you screw up, don't think I won't fire ya!"

"Thank you, sir..." Tairos trailed off.

"Crowe's the name, boy," The Shinigami answered. "Now I'm going t' go back and work on a chair, you stay here until closing time." Crowe indicated the counter before heading off behind a set of curtains and into the rear of the shop.

Tairos sighed and took his place behind the counter. Hours passed, and Tairos watched sullenly as crowds of Shinigami passed the store without entering. As boredom set in, he began to doodle on scraps of paper on the counter, imagining other fun things he could be doing...

"Uh...excuse me?" A voice cut through Tairos's day dream. Tairos shook his head and looked straight forward at the speaker: it was a tall Shinigami, at least a few inches taller then Tairos, with a slight tan and large, round glasses.

"Hello sir, may I help you?" Tairos said politely, finally happy to be in some contact with another person.

"Hi, my name is Cren Fjorson of the 6th Squad. I'm looking for a coffee table for my apartment," the tall Shinigami stated.

"Why didn't you say so at first?" Tairos said jovially, grabbing hold and Cren's arm. "Right this way my friend, we have an excellent selection of mahogany tables right over here."

"Uh...that may be a bit out of my price range," Cren replied.

"Then how about Redwood?" Cren shook his head. "Cedar? Oak? Pine?"

"Pine's cheap, I'll take that," Cren said.

"Are you sure you don't want to at least look at our selection?" Tairos asked.

"No, I am in a hurry. I've been drafted to help with the murder mystery investigation. My squad's captain, Byakuya, volunteered my apartment as a meeting area, so that's why I need to table."

"Ah I see," Tairos said. "Well, let me ask the manager where to find them and we'll bring a pine table out for you." With that, he retreated into the back room calling for Crowe. In seconds the two reappeared carrying a solid pine coffee table; Tairos grunted under the strain but Crowe had enough experience to be used to such a task.

"Thanks," Cren said as they placed the table on the ground. "How much is it?"

"Four hundred," Crowe said nonchalantly.

Cren fumbled in his kimono until he produced a brown leather wallet. He removed the money and paid Crowe. Then, they all stood stock still, no one seeming to go anywhere. After five full minutes had passed, Crowe spoke up.

"Shouldn't you be taking that table home, boy?"

"I thought you guys were going to carry it for me," Cren answered.

Tairos sighed. "I'll help him with it." _You'd better tip me_, Tairos thought as he heaved the massive piece of furniture, his arms buckling even more this time; Cren did not have strength anywhere near Crowe's, and he seemed to be lifting with even less than half his own strength.

"I...hope...your...house...is...nearby..." Tairos grunted as they headed down the street, Shinigami on either side stopping briefly to stare at them. "Nothing...to see...here...folks..."

"It isn't...to far..." Cren moaned, obviously putting in more effort than he originally had. Cren continued to mutter directions and after an hour they had reached his apartment.

"Close, huh?" Tairos grunted angrily.

"Sorry, I think we accidentally went the long way," Cren replied, rubbing the back of his head innocently.

"It's fine," Tairos answered. _You idiot wasting my time and energy! I'd better get that tip!_

"Well, my friends in the squad can help take it from here. By the way, if you have any information on the murder case I'd really like to know it."

"I'll tell you anything I find out," Tairos said, holding his hand forward eagerly. Again, the two stood there for several minutes, neither moving.

"Well, bye!" Cren said as some other Shinigami appeared and helped transport the table inside the building.

"Damn you Cren Fjorson!" Tairos yelled as the door slammed. A second later, it reopened and the taller bespectacled Shinigami stuck his head out.

"What did you say?"

"Oh...uh...enjoy your table!"

Character Profile: Tairos Naix

Age: Unknown (appears 22 in human years)

Height: 187.9 cm (6 feet 2 inches)

Affiliation: 9th Squad

Rank: Basic Shinigami (unseated)

Hobbies: Reading, writing, painting, drawing

Zanpakuto: Librar

Shikai: Librar takes the form of a wooden staff when released. The command to release the Shikai is "Balance." Librar allows Tairos to balance his reiatsu with that of his opponent's, making them both have the same amount of reiatsu. The staff also augments his kidou, allowing Tairos to use them close to full power without chanting, or at an even greater level of power when the commands are chanted.


	9. Cryptic Clues: A Rising Murderous Intent

Chapter 9: Cryptic Clues: A Rising Murderous Intent

There was blood everywhere: on the walls, the floor, even the ceiling. Tairos and Jaice were coated with blood, gaping wounds on their chests and necks. Their zanpakutos laid shattered by their sides, and the ripped shreds of their clothes mingled with the forming pools of blood. The black robed man turned and faced Baiten, twisting his long zanpakuto to shake off the blood. He stared at Baiten, the murder's eyes blazing gold in the darkness, his features obscured by shadow; he readied himself in fighting stance and lunged, plunging his blade into Baiten's chest.

It was at that moment Baiten cried out, waking a sleeping Tairos and a half-dozing Jaice. "Damn, it's bad enough that he talks in his sleep, but screaming?" Jaice asked.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Tairos questioned as Baiten sat up wiping sweat from his brow.

"Yes, don't worry about it. Let's go back to bed," Baiten replied, closing his eyes. _It seemed so real, but it was a dream_, Baiten thought. _The murderer wouldn't come here...would he? _

Dawn came as usual, and the events the morning passed normally, with Baiten and Jaice eating a meal prepared by Tairos. It was eerily silent, as if they each feared to speak. Finally, as if a messenger come to break the silence, or a harbinger, a Hell Butterfly came fluttering through a window. Baiten extended the pointer finger on his right hand and the insect landed, resting for several seconds before fluttering away. Baiten's face twisted, contorting into a mask of fear and pain.

"What was the message?" Tairos asked, looking at Baiten's shocked face. There was a long pause, and Baiten continued to fail to reply.

"Damn it, Baiten! What was the message?" Jaice growled, rushing over to face his friend eye to eye.

"The next house over...all six of the Shinigami inside were killed," Baiten said, shuddering as he spoke.

"The murder...was so nearby. We could be next!"

"Snap out of it, Baiten!" Jaice roared. "We have just as much chance of dying now as we ever did! If the murderer comes, we'll easily crush him!"

"It gets worse," Baiten continued. "There was a clue found; it was the emblem of a seated officer of the 11th Squad."

"11th Squad?" Tairos and Jaice said simultaneously. "The most violent squad in Seireitei?"

"Yes, and against an enemy like that we'll be in trouble." Baiten continued. "He has already killed several officer level Shinigami, including ones ranked as high as fourth seat in one squad. Whoever the murderer is, he is deadly."

At this comment, Jaice began to laugh. "I like the sound of this, a strong opponent would be nice."

"Haven't you noticed, Jaice, that no one survives his attacks?" Tairos said. "Whoever he is, he is one ruthless bastard."

"Put the pieces together, guys," Jaice said. "If he's in the 11th Squad, it's easier to discover his identity."

"Yeah, what are we going to do? Walk up to every member of the 11th Squad and ask 'oh excuse me, do you happen to be the guy who has been murdering everyone in Seireitei the past few weeks?'"

"No, Jaice has a point," Baiten interjected, rising to his feet. "Judging by the string of murders, the killer has made a few vital errors. Come on, let's go to the 11th Squad headquarters, I have an idea of who this murderer is."

"We'd better wait to be sure of who the murderer is," Tairos said, grabbing Baiten's arm to stop him from leaving the house. "If we violate the current law, we will all look like likely suspects, especially since the most recent murder had such a close proximity."

"But I'm already pretty sure," Baiten answered.

"Then spell it out for us, so we know this isn't just some random guess," Jaice said. "If we screw up, it'll cost us all."

"Well, different ranks of Shinigami from different squads have been murdered, everything from basic to a fourth seat as I said earlier." Baiten began. "Therefore, whoever it is doesn't seem to have any specific targets, moreso he is just killing whoever he sees fit." Baiten paused to see that his friends were following and continued. "From that information we can assume that the murderer's motive could be one of the following: one, he is insane the merely killing anyone and everyone for his own sick reasons; two, he has been hired by someone to carry out these killings; three, he is killing them in order to somehow rise to power."

"Option three seems most likely," Tairos said. "By eliminating ranked officers, whoever he is has more openings to become more influential. The murders of lower ranking members are probably to throw everyone off that trail of thought."

"Exactly," Baiten replied, giving Tairos a thumbs up. "Therefore, we have to note a member of the 11th Squad who has been promoted since the beginning of the murders. Judging by the 11th Squad members killed, he is probably a sixth seat by now."

"You made one critical error, Baiten," Jaice said. "The 11th Squad insignia could easily have been a plant in order to throw people off the real trail."

"You do have a point," Baiten said. "I guess we need a better lead before we can be sure what squad the murderer is a member of. As I said, he has killed members of each squad fairly evenly; thus, there have probably been a lot of promotions lately meaning that there will be many suspects."

"Yeah, but that will make it easier to narrow down who it is," Tairos said. "We just have to find out who among each squad has been promoted a great deal in the past few weeks. Knowing that will at least narrow the range of suspects."

"We can also assume that he was a seated officer even before the murders began," Jaice continued. "No basic Shinigami is going to be that deadly."

"You can never be too sure," Tairos replied. "They may be hiding their power, that would make the murders even harder to trace."

"Damn, this whole thing is too confusing!" Jaice yelled, kicking at the air. "We have barely any leads! We might as well just hope he comes to us and that we can kill him before he kills us!"

"Getting angry won't help," Baiten said. "I think we'd better just wait it out and see if any more leads appear. We could look for clues, though that may lead to suspicion and one of us was already accused of committing these murders."

"No, searching for clues would be too risky," Tairos said. "There are Cells within each squad already assigned to investigation, and we'd just get in their way or arouse suspicion. You know what they say, the murderer always returns to the scene of the crime."

"So what are we supposed to do? Wait in every house he's been to?" Jaice asked, annoyance obvious in his voice.

"No, I see where Tairos is going," Baiten replied, smiling. "Statistically the way the murders have been occurring, we are the next best target. Recently, several murders have taken place near our home. All we have to do is have one of us keep watch; we can switch off every three hours. I'll take the first shift, Tairos the second, and Jaice the third."

"Fine with me," Jaice said. "Let's hope that bastard shows his face. I haven't had a good fight in awhile!"

"Yeah, I can agree with that," Tairos said, yawning. "Anyway guys, I have to get to work, I'll see you tonight." With that, he walked out the door.

"I have some reading to catch up on," Jaice said, pulling a book off a nearby shelf and reclining in a newly purchased chair from Tairos's place of employment.

"I might as well do the same," Baiten agreed, sitting in the second of the three wicker chairs. "It's odd; we haven't had a mission in awhile, yet with so much downtime I haven't done anything productive."

"Value peace while you can, it never lasts."

Several hours later...

"G'night Baiten," Jaice said as he walked back into the bedroom behind Tairos.

"Good luck with the watch," Tairos stated, giving Baiten a thumbs up.

"Thanks, guys," Baiten answered, "I'll wake you when it's your turn." They closed the bedroom door and Baiten returned to reading his book. He almost wished he'd never started it; the book was rather boring and repetitive, with characters of no real substance in situations that didn't seem to matter. Baiten sighed, knowing that he always finished what he started as he flipped to page 203 out of 466. It would be a long night but, he hoped, at least he'd finish this blasted book. And who knows, maybe it would get better! As Baiten flipped another page the dullness set in and slowing his head drooped onto his chest, and he slipped into a deep sleep.

The bamboo screen door slid slowly aside as a figure entered the house. He looked at the sleeping Baiten and smiled, knowing that his Shikai had once again come through for him. This murder would be even easier than the last, the previous victims had actually been able to resist most of his sword's effects and gave him a decent fight. Sadly for them, it wasn't good enough. _Oh well, no time to dwell on the past,_ he thought. _I have work to do._ With that, he raised his katana and stabbed forwards, time seeming to slow down as the blade was about to pierce Baiten's chest. He smiled as the blade connected, but, as he pulled the weapon back, was surprised to see no blood on his victim's chest. He looked at his sword, only to see the the upper third of it had been melted away...but by what?

"That's acid, if you'd like to know," Jaice declared, showing a dripping Sangren from the darkness.

"H...how are you awake? No matter, Sleep, Maitre Sommeil!" As the murder finished speaking, an eerie purple aura surrounded his zanpakuto which moved in a stream towards Jaice, encircling his head. Jaice's head moved back and forth, his eyelids began to flap, but he did not even seem to become drowsy as he forced open his eyes and grinned wickedly.

"You should have done more research about your targets, I don't sleep!" Jaice roared, swinging his sword at the murderer's chest. The villain narrowly dodged, acid slightly searing his kimono.

"Damn! How can you resist my Maitre Sommeil? It redirects reiatsu flow and concentrates all of it in my enemy's head, allowing me to force them into a state of drowsiness, and eventually sleep!"

"Shut up, I don't care!" Jaice slashed off the murderer's left arm as he spoke, and acid splayed across the intruder's chest. He recoiled in pain, as Jaice kicked him out the open door and into the street. "And by the way, I've got a shit load of reiatsu. Your sword probably isn't good enough to redirect all of it. Or perhaps it's just you that sucks!"

There was little moonlight, but it was enough for Jaice to see the murderer's body. He was half a head taller than Jaice and had a sunken face with piercing purple eyes and blond hair. He cringed and tried to back away as Jaice approached.

"P...please! Don't kill me! I have influence, I can help lead you to power! We can work together and dominate Soul Society!" The murder begged.

"I'd never work with someone as pitiful as you, and besides, domination isn't my thing," Jaice replied coldly. "I can't even take your word for it. I'm not even a seated officer and I'm kicking your ass. Or perhaps I'm a hell of a lot better than anyone gives me credit for."

_The bastard,_ the murder thought, _how had he gotten so lucky? Someone at his level shouldn't have that much reiatsu, or even so would be more inclined to kidou based combat. If it had been that, I could surely have beaten him._ _Kidou...that's it!_

"Any last words?" Jaice said as he raised his zanpakuto.

"Way of Bind..." The murder started, but never finished, as his sentence was cut off by a machete cleaving his skull in two.

The next morning:

"Thanks, Gandaime-san," Shindou stated as the 7th Squad investigators dragged the corpse of the murder away. "We are forever in your debt for killing and stopping this monster."

"You're welcome, it was an enjoyable fight at least," Jaice answered. Shindou extended his hand to shake, but Jaice batted it away. "I helped your investigation, that doesn't make us friends."

"My apologies, Gandaime-san," Shindou replied bowing. "I hope that someday we will see eye to eye."

_Or perhaps your eyes will see no more,_ Jaice thought, his hatred of Shindou still boiling. _I will defeat you. Last time, we were on uneven ground. But now...I have Sangren!_

Jaice re-entered the house and high-fived both Tairos and Baiten. "Well, there's another mission completed."

"Yeah, and we weren't even assigned to it," Baiten said.

"We were really lucky that Jaice is such a freak," Tairos added.

"Freak? I have skills, you jealous idiot!" Jaice shot back.

"Jealous? I'd never want to be someone with such an ugly face!"

"Oh so that's your game!"

In the midst of their tussle, Baiten walked over to the window where a Hell Butterfly entered. The insect landed on Baiten's finger and his eyes widened in happiness as he heard the message it carried.

"Guys, stop fighting! We've been asked to enter the Shinigami Tournament which starts in one week!" Baiten cheered. Both Tairos and Jaice turned their heads towards him and smiled.

"Apparently, someone thinks we're pretty good," Tairos said.

"Yeah, only a few Shinigami from each squad are allowed to compete," Baiten declared proudly.

"Finally, a chance to kick some ass," Jaice said.

"It isn't just about fighting," Tairos replied. "The top fighters are almost always promoted within their squads, and that means more interesting missions."

Baiten nodded. "We'd better start training, the tournament is going to be tough!"

_And, if I'm lucky, that will be my chance to defeat Shindou,_ Jaice thought.

HES: Sorry this update took so long, I have been very busy lately. The pace of updates should start picking up soon, so stay tuned! The first arc, the Murder Mystery, has just ended, and a new one, The Tournament of Shinigami is about to begin! Please review, I value your input!


	10. Tournament Trauma: Tairos Tussles

Chapter 10: Tournament Trauma: Tairos Tussles!

Tairos, Jaice, and Baiten strutted proudly down the streets of Seireitei as they made their way towards the arena of the Shinigami Tournament. The week leading up to the event had seemed to ebb on slowly, as each day the comrades practiced for the upcoming conflict. Jaice licked his lips with anticipation as they drew towards the registration table outside the stadium built specifically for the occasion.

"I'm excited," Jaice stated, his words slicing through the air as if harbingers to the actions his zanpakuto, Sangren, was about to follow in the coming hours. "I hope I can fight some Captains and prove my ability!"

Tairos and Baiten laughed slightly, causing Jaice to wheel and glare daggers at the duo. "What, don't you have any faith in me?" Jaice questioned, edging closer to his chuckling comrades.

"Jaice, did you listen at all when we read over the rules that runner brought us?" Tairos asked. "Asking Shinigami of that high a level to compete would not only be unfair to the competitors, but also dangerous. Only Shinigami of the rank Third Seat or below are allowed to participate."

Jaice snorted and turned back to face front. "Cowardly Captains, I bet I could take one of them on." Baiten raised his eyebrow at Tairos, who shrugged, silently communicating that both were confused, yet used to such a display of overconfidence.

After several uneventful minutes of walking, talking, arguing, and a brief display of fisticuffs, the three friends arrived at the registration table. Seated at the aforementioned piece of furniture was a gruff looking middle-aged female Shinigami. Jaice, the most eager to fight, rushed towards the table.

"Name?" The woman asked.

"Jaice Gandaime."

"Squad?"

"Ninth." As he spoke she poured over a list of names atop the oaken structure.

"Ah, found you Gandaime-san." She replied in a kind way, her voice a sharp contrast to her harsh outward appearance. "You're fighting in bracket one. Your number is three." The woman handed Jaice a circular badge when she finished speaking with the number 'three' on kanji on the front. "Report to arena waiting room one and get ready."

"See you guys later," Jaice called to his friends as he hurried off. "Try not to get eliminated, eh? I'd prefer to take out my own friends if I can."

Baiten and Tairos had similar experiences upon reaching the table, though Baiten was given a rectangular badge with the number seven on it and thus had to report to arena four, while Tairos obtained a triangular badge with the number ten on the front, sending him to arena three. As the two parted ways, they wished one another luck.

Tairos watched Baiten disappear into the distance before turning a following a large arrow-shaped sign that read: "Arena Three this way." Tairos sighed as he walked along the path. _I'm starting to regret coming here,_ Tairos thought sullenly. _I could be enjoying some shut-eye, or be out on a date, or eating. Anything beats pointlessly exerting myself in a tournament I'm probably going to lose anyway._ _Well, I'm already here, I'd better make the most of this. And hey, if I win, I should get even more dates than usual! _With that in mind, Tairos rushed into the waiting building for arena three.

The building was small but spacious, resembling a gymnasium with waxed wooden floors, a high ceiling, and white walls covered with yellow mats. Inside, Tairos saw more than a score of other Shinigami milling around the room. He saw that they seemed to congregate in small clusters, which he discerned to be members of the same squad. Tairos looked frantically for a familiar face, but soon came to realize that he was the only ninth squad member in the room! Ten awkward minutes passed in which Tairos tried to survey the competition. Luckily, his boredom was cut short when a tall, muscular male Shinigami strode into the center of the room. His hair was blond and his face was smiling and handsome. The voices in the room died down as this man began to speak.

"Warriors, competitors, Shinigami of all squads! I welcome you to the Shinigami Tournament!" A great cheer arose as the man finished, catching Tairos off guard. "I am the referee for Arena Three, Aoi Ryuga. I'd like to inform you all that all matches in each round will be fought simultaneously in order to save time. Each arena will thus be divided into sections and each fight will take place in a separate section. Each section is marked with special reiatsu trackers, so that if a rules violation occurs the combatants will be frozen until the referee arrives. The walls dividing the sections are made of Sekiseki, a stone which absorbs reiatsu, and have been strengthened with various kidou, so do not attempt to break them as it will prove futile; also, anyone purposefully attempting to do so will be disqualified; that stone isn't cheap. Now, any questions before I continue?" No hands shot into the air, so Aoi continued. "Now, you were each given a number on the badge you were issued. The numbers are completely random and denote who you are paired with in the first round. For instance, number one and number two are fighting, three and four, and so on. Now, without further ado, I'd like you each to step forward and show me your number; I will then supply you with a Hell Butterfly that will escort you to your section. Good luck, fight well and, most importantly, fight fairly!"

A cheer erupted from the crowd with Tairos lending his voice to the cacophony. He smiled as he walked towards Aoi and, in minutes, was following him personal Hell Butterfly to a section on the left side of the arena. Upon arriving, Tairos noticed that the section has three walls of pure white stone. Tairos entered and, as he did so, the fourth wall sprung up behind him. He looked around, searching for his opponent and gasped as he saw the scar-faced figure crouched in one corner.

"Hey there employee, fancy fighting you here," Crowe chuckled as Tairos looked on in confusion.

"W...wait...I have to fight my boss?"

"Most people would relish the chance to trash their oppressive overlord," Crowe replied, his voice still ringing with laughter. Tairos looked oddly at his employer before responding.

"Wait...if I win does that mean I lose my job?"

"Nope, you're fired just for competing in this tournament! Our agreement was no fun of any kind!" Crowe roared angrily, causing Tairos to jump back.

"Hey, that was never..." but the younger Shinigami was cut off my more raucous laughter.

"Just joking, lad," Crowe said, standing. "I'd actually prefer a fun fight. I wouldn't have entered this tournament if I was looking for an easy win. I want you to fight to the best of your ability. Oh, and by the way, beating me won't be so easy. I may look old, but I'm much more spry than you'd think. Now, let's quit this babbling and get to fighting." Without another word, Crowe drew out his zanpakuto; Tairos did the same. The two stood still for several minutes with only the sound of the wind and the muffled noises of nearby fights in the air. After the long pause, Crowe finally broke the silence. "Are you going to attack, or should I?"

"I've found it's best to wait for an opponent with unknown abilities to attack first," Tairos answered. "It also the defender to make the most of the situation."

"Using that logic, I shouldn't attack either," Crowe said, sullenly. "Then again, if you make the first attack and it is effective enough you might overpower your opponent before he can even react." Crowe paused and then roared, "And that's my plan exactly!"

Like lightning, Crowe was charging Tairos, giving the black-haired Shinigami barely enough time to parry the accurate strike of his employer.

"Oh, so I don't need to go easy on you, eh?" Crowe laughed, wheeling his blade through the air and catching Tairos lightly on the chest as the younger Shinigami jumped backwards. Tairos glanced downward to see a trickle of blood staining the front of his kimono.

Tairos scowled and lunged as Crowe, who dodged expertly and brought the flat of his blade across Tairos's temple. The younger Shinigami grunted in pain and stumbled, trying to regain his composure as stars floated across his field of vision.

"It seems swordplay isn't your thing," Crowe stated as Tairos continued to pitch to and fro. "Maybe if you release your shikai things will start to get interesting."

Tairos shook his head as he regained some semblance of normal consciousness. "I didn't even really want to be in this stupid tournament, but now that I'm here I want to do my best and prove the level of my skills. Crowe-san, I won't release my zanpakuto until you do the same."

"Heh, fine then," the older Shinigami rasped. "Just don't blame me if you have a few broken bones and an even more damaged sense of pride! Pound, Hiroki!" As he spoke, Crowe's katana morphed into a large steel mallet with a long handle that allowed him to grasp the weapon in both hands.

"Balance, Librar!" Tairos answered, causing his sword to become the trademark staff denoted his shikai. "Let's do this, boss!"

"Ah, a staff," Crowe said. "I assume that your zanpakuto is the accessory type, most likely augmenting your kidou."

"Good guess," Tairos said. "But your little speech gave me time to chant...Destructive Art Thirty-One, Shot of Red Fire!" A large ball of crimson flame shot towards Crowe. "I guess you should regret asking me to release." Tairos grinned as he watched the fire engulf his employer.

Then, Tairos noticed something odd: the fire seemed to stay in one place, and then move back towards him; he was barely able to dodge the blast that had come back to him.

"Maybe I should explain my shikai," Crowe said as he watched a stunned Tairos began to rapidly chant again. "Nah, I'll let you learn through experience!" At that, Crowe slammed his mallet into the ground, sending a shockwave rippling outward, causing Tairos to stumble and miss his next shot of kidou. Tairos had a brief moment to look down at his legs, realizing to his horror that he had just given Crowe the opportunity the older man needed.

Tairos rolled quickly to the side, dodging Crowe's hammer, though the strike sent ripples through the stone and threw Tairos against one of the walls. Tairos coughed, releasing a torrent of blood and mucous.

"You want to surrender?" Crowe asked, hefting the mallet onto his shoulder. "You probably didn't expect an old feeble man like me to be able to use something this destructive eh?"

"No...I never underestimated you," Tairos spluttered. "I've learned that experience comes with age. As you grow older, one often becomes more powerful thanks to what one has acquired over the course of one's life."

"Very wise," Crowe said. "Even so, wisdom can't help you here. Your legs are most likely fractured, possibly broken, and you probably have some form of internal bleeding. The referee should be here shortly; I don't want to make more of a mess for him to clean up, and I especially don't want to hurt my only employee even further."

"I refuse to just give in," Tairos muttered. "I'll give it my all. Come on, Crowe, don't go easy on me! What won't kill me only makes me stronger!"

"Fine kid, but don't think I'll give you a pension when you're off work!" Crowe said before roaring a battle cry and charging headlong at Tairos. As Crowe raised his mallet above his head, Tairos cracked a smile and yelled: "Balance!"

Crowe looked briefly confused as his movements slowed slightly, and Tairos saw his only chance. "Destructive Art Thirty-Three: Blue Fire, Crash Down!" A ball of blue fire whizzed through the air and caught Crowe straight on. The older Shinigami stumbled back, his body now covered with a slight burn.

"Clever, Tairos, saving a trump card," Crowe said as smoke billowed around him. "Sadly, you used it too soon."

Tairos shook his head. "No, because now I've got another clear shot at you! I only used three-quarters of the reiatsu I stole from you in my last attack. Now, Destructive Art Four: White Lightning!" A beam of white electricity shot from the end of Librar straight towards Crowe's chest. As the energy arced forward, Tairos noticed Crowe swinging his hammer at the ground.

_It doesn't matter,_ Tairos thought. _Even if he sends a shockwave, I'm too far away for it to strike me before my lightning hits him. Besides, I'm already close enough to the ground that his attack won't do nearly as much damage as mine will. I'll come out with some broken bones, yes, but I'll win this round. And, if I'm lucky, Squad Four can patch me up before the next round. _

Tairos looked at Crowe, expecting him to have a red hole in his chest where the kidou struck. Crowe had his head down and the head of his mallet rested on the ground, yet he had no marks of damage. Tairos gasped as the man raised his head and pointed at the broken ground around his feet.

"Good effort, Tairos, but now you're too low on reiatsu to prove a threat. As you can see by the blood on my right cheek, I swung Hiroki into the ground, breaking the floor and making me slightly lower than your initial target. Thus, your attack only grazed the side of my face. I've also realized that your shikai only balances the amount of reiatsu you have with that of your opponent: I'm low on reiatsu myself, so even if you use that ability again you won't have enough to do any major damage."

"Seriously?" Was all Tairos said as he flopped over and passed out. The last thing he heard was Crowe laughing and saying: "Oh, I should've mentioned, my shockwaves take lots of reiatsu to use. You should've stopped me after the first one. You gave me a good fight, kid, maybe next time I won't have to go easy on you."

Tairos awoke hours later in a tent where the 4th Squad was tending to the wounded. He noticed others in cots all around him, their bodies covered with bandages, casts, and poultices. There were several members of the 4th Squad using kidou to heal various wounds and, as one came up to him, Tairos rasped, "Do you know if Jaice and Baiten won?"

"Not a clue," a voice replied. "Round two just ended, so it'll be awhile before the winners are known. Even so, there are a lot of participants. If your friends lose they will probably wind up here, or if they win and suffer major damage."

"No, the guys they fight will end up here, I'm sure of that," Tairos said.

"You need some sleep," the voice replied. Tairos tried to nod but couldn't find the energy. As he shut his eyes he wondered about his friends...

Character Profile: Crowe

Age: Unknown, though he has been making furniture for at least two centuries (appears 67 in human years)

Height: 180.3 cm (5 feet 11 inches)

Affiliation: Retired member of the 3rd Squad, currently owns a furniture store in Seireitei

Rank: Former 4th Seat, current owner a shop

Hobbies: Making furniture, playing cards, cooking

Zanpakuto: Hiroki

Shikai: Hiroki takes the form of a large steel mallet when released by the command "Pound!" The mallet itself allows for Crowe to strike his enemies for much greater damage than a blow from a normal sword. Hiroki allows Crowe to focus his reiatsu through the weapon and send a shockwave through any point he strikes be it ground or the body of an enemy. While unknown if it is one of Hiroki's natural abilities or merely Crowe's prowess, Crowe had used the weapon to knock back and deflect kidou.

HES: Once again, loyal readers, sorry for the late update! As usual, I have been busy, but now that I've reached the Shinigami Tournament Arc updates should be far more frequent. Thanks for your patience and support! Please review, I value your input!


	11. Baiten's Brawl: Love and Honor

Chapter 11: Baiten's Brawl: Love and Honor

As Baiten walked towards his section of the arena his hands started to shake slightly; as much as he hated to admit it to himself, he was nervous about the upcoming match. He had trained hard these past years, and had worked even harder in the days before the tournament; losing meant that all his work was for nothing.

Shaking his head, Baiten cleared the thought from his mind. "I am strong," he reiterated to himself. "Winning isn't everything. The purpose of this competition is to test my skills and make me stronger. And, better yet, maybe I can even enjoy myself a bit."

"Talking to yourself is a bit odd, isn't it?" A feminine voice sliced through Baiten's sentences, each syllable containing beauty and malice rolled into one. Baiten turned to see a familiar face, gasping as he realized that Arda Codestum, his former failed love interest, was his first opponent. "Surprised to see me?" She asked. "Please don't say it's fate or something; it's just bad luck that you got stuck with me."

"Perhaps it was unlucky for you," Baiten replied calmly. "I may not be a 3rd Seat like you, but I'm a hard worker and I fight fairly well for an unseated Shinigami."

"You're a bit overconfident...it amuses me a bit," Arda answered. "Either way, we'll see in a few minutes who the stronger of we two is."

Baiten nodded as they entered their portion of the arena and the white walls closed around them. "Good luck; let's hope neither of us is injured badly."

"If you surrender now I can prevent your pain," Arda giggled. "Honestly, though, it's in your best interest to withdraw. This is the last time I'll say it: I'm a 3rd Seat; an unseated warrior like you won't last more than ten minutes against me."

"Ah, but unlike a lot of unseated Shinigami I can use Shikai," Baiten replied confidently as he drew his zanpkauto.

"Why betray a trump card like that this early?" She questioned, a perplexed look crossing her face. "You may have been able to take me by surprise later on."

"I like a fair fight," Baiten said. "I want us both to battle to the best of our abilities; I'd rather you didn't for easy on me so that if I lose I have a desire to train and get stronger."

"Hmph, whatever you wish," Arda said, sighing as she drew her sword. "Let's both release our blades and do battle!"

"Oh yeah!" Baiten yelled back, raising his weapon above his head as Arda unsheathed her katana. "Judge, Justare!" Baiten's blade took on the distinctive shape of a rapier as he watched his opponent utilize her Initial Release.

"Twist and Mold, Zemzemdaika!" Arda declared holding her katana parallel to the arena floor. As she spoke, the blade of her sword split into two thin halves that wrapped around one another forming a helical shape. Each strand of the blade was individual, with space between it and the other metallic piece, yet the two seemed linked in some way. The metal of the zanpakuto itself had on odd violet tinge beneath the normal silvery exterior. "Meet Zemzemdaika, the Heredity Slayer!"

"Sweet sword," Baiten answered, marveling at the appearance of the zanpakuto.

"You should feel honored," Arda said. "I'm saving you a lot of pain; I was planning on wearing you down with an unreleased blade which would have cost a considerable amount of time and blood on your part. This way, I can beat you faster and with less injury."

"Don't get overconfident," Baiten said, stepping forward. "We haven't even truly begun to fight yet. Now, ladies first."

"Exactly, I'm waiting for you," Arda said sarcastically. "No, that's very gentlemanly of you. Stupid, but gentlemanly." Without another word, she was upon him. Baiten barely saw her move; he only felt the bite of her blade into his shoulder and felt the warm stream of crimson blood spray across his face. He reeled back as she wrenched the sword away and readied it for another strike. Before she could attack again, Baiten focused on his weapon and, turning the blade horizontally to face Arda, roared a single word:

"JUDGE!" A blast of light erupted from Justare as Arda approached, causing her to cover her eyes at the last second. She quickly shook her head and lunged at Baiten once again; this unexpected attack took the Shinigami of the 9th Squad by surprise, and once again the weapon craved through his flesh, this time slamming into his chest.

"I told you that there wasn't much hope for you," Arda said. "You can still surrender and spare yourself more bodily harm."

"N...no," Baiten mumbled as he rose and wiped the blood from his chest. "I won't surrender, ever. And, even if I lose, I want to figure out why you were able to predict the ability of my Shikai. Had I blinded you, this fight would currently be in my favor."

Arda smiled sweetly but with an air of malice beneath her outward glee. "Oh, I'll just tell you so when you lose you came away with something. My sword, Zemzemdaika, steals and copies some of the DNA from whomever it cuts; that first slash I got against you allowed me to incporate a bit of your genetic data into my body temporarily. Though I did not directly know your ability, the reflexes built into your body registered that I should cover my eyes; almost every person knows how to beat himself."

"So...can you even copy my fighting style?" Baiten asked.

"Yes, if I so chose, but only for about 30 seconds per slash," Arda sighed. "Because of the great strain upon the DNA, it is usually degraded after that short period of time. Luckily, I can still remember your moves and abilities so I can counter them even if I am unable to wholly emulate them."

"Any other fancy tricks that sword of yours has?"

"Just one more: I can also make myself appear similar or exactly the same as the person I cut. Not exactly useful for battle, but there are times it's valuable."

Baiten smirked as she spoke, gripping the handle of his rapier tightly. _It's getting sunnier_, he thought. _Not much, but slightly more since we started fighting. _Without another thought, Baiten jumped to his feet and declared, "Judge!" This time, caught off guard, Arda was unable to shield her eyes; she cried out as she temporarily lost her vision and began to stumble around blindly, knocking several times into one of the walls.

"You bastard! You're clever, I'll give you that," Arda growled.

"As I said, you underestimated my skills," Baiten replied. "While you were busy talking, the sun was shining more brightly, making my sword more powerful. Also, your train of thought was moved away from the battle, causing you to ignore the fact that I was gathering strength for an attack. Now, I suppose I should inform you that because of the level of sunlight when I used Justare you will probably be blinded for another five minutes or so. You can either keep fighting in the dark and become badly injured, or you can surrender."

Arda gritted her teeth and lunged in the direction of Baiten's voice, narrowly missing his right arm. She swung again, this time rotating like an insane top, her sword flying every-which-way; Baiten barely dodged these strokes, and one even managed to slice off some of his hair.

_I'd better finish it now_, he thought. _Hair contains DNA too, so she may be able to read my fighting style and somehow counter it._ Baiten pointed his sword at Arda and stabbed, catching her through the ribs but purposefully missing her internal organs. He removed his sword and wiped the blood off with a cloth from inside his kimono.

"It's over, I've won," Baiten said.

"I...impossible!" Arda cried. "There is no way someone like you could beat me!"

"I admit, I got lucky," Baiten replied. "I also exploited your conceited nature; if you'd talked less about yourself and just struck at me from the get-go, you probably would've won."

"I won't forget this, Baiten Seisha," Arda rasped as she continued to bleed. "Next time we fight, I'll destroy you." Arda's sight returned just in time to see the tournament referee appearing to declare Baiten to winner; then, without another word, she blacked out.

_You were a strong opponent, Arda_, Baiten said. _I wasn't trying to make you feel better when I said luck contributed to my victory. I just hope in the coming matches my good luck doesn't run out; sometimes luck is all you need to win, but it isn't always enough: skill ultimately triumphs over chance._

As Baiten left the arena, the referee, a red-headed female Shinigami with a ponytail and large hoop earrings, informed him that the next round was starting in an hour.

"I'd better head over to the medical tent and get my chest and shoulder looked at," Baiten said. "Thanks for the tip!"

Character Profile: Arda Codestum

Age: Unknown (appears 22 in human years)

Height: 172.7 cm (5 feet 8 inches)

Affiliation: Member of the 12th Squad

Rank: 3rd Seat

Hobbies: Reading, genetic research and experiments, writing, training

Zanpakuto: Zemzemdaika

Shikai: Arda can release her zanpkauto by stating, "Twist and Mold, Zemzemdaika!" The blade splits in two and resembles the double helix of DNA. The metal has a slight mauve tinge. The weapon allows Arda to steal a copy of the DNA of whomever she cuts, so long as she cuts a portion of their body containing genetic data (ie: not just their clothes). With this data in hand, Arda can temporarily gain attributes of her target, such as fighting style, basic reflex knowledge of his or her abilities, and even his or her appearance. Regrettably, the blade can only transmit this power for roughly thirty seconds for each cut made into the enemy's body.


	12. The Two Faces of Jaice

Chapter 12: The Two Faces of Jaice

Jaice sighed sadly as the wall of the arena closed behind him, the sound resonating with a deep, bass note that seemed to signal the beginning of a fierce battle. "You're my opponent?" Jaice moaned for the third time, looking over to see his tall, lanky bespectacled opponent.

"Yes, isn't that obvious?" The taller black-haired shinigami answered, adjusting his glasses and letting out a quick cough. "My name's Cren Fjorson, or did you forget that too?"

"It was rhetorical," Jaice replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "I want to fight strong opponents and, no offense, you don't look like much." Jaice sighed again as he noticed the thin body of his adversary. "You're too thin to be strong and you're too tall to be very fast, so I've got you beat in two categories, not to mention my zanpakuto," at that he drew Sangren, "is much deadlier than yours," with that, he pointed his machete at the sword strapped across his opponent's back.

The bespectacled Shinigami gulped as he drew out his katana, holding it in a low stance in order to account for his height advantage. This caused Jaice to smirk as he edged towards the other Shinigami. "I refuse to release my shikai in earnest until you do," Cren stated shakily, his sword jittering up and down as Jaice approached.

"Well, my blade is constantly released," Jaice laughed, "but I have to call upon its ability. You might as well use your initial release now, otherwise I'll cut you to ribbons in seconds. Now, are we going to fight or stand around talking until one of us dies of boredom?"

"Fine then, let's make it quick," Cren answered, a new resolve emerging in his voice. "I don't have time to waste on punks like you. I've got to win this tournament; a promotion for me is long overdue."

"What about shut the hell up and fight don't you understand?" Jaice roared as he raced towards Cren while swinging Sangren wildly around his head. Cren reacted quickly, sidestepping Jaice's strike and slamming the flat of his katana into the back of Jaice's neck, sending him into the floor of the arena. Jaice rapidly recovered, rose to his feet, and slashed at Cren, who dodged once again and aimed a well-placed stab at Jaice's chest; the 9th Squad brunette, however, parried the blow with alarming force and lashed out at Cren, cutting lightly into the taller Shinigami's chest as he withdrew slightly.

"You're good at dodging, I'll give you that," Jaice said, heaving slightly.

"And you're one resilient bastard," Cren answered, wiping sweat from his brow. "Usually when I use my Backhand Blow my adversary is subdued; I usually don't use the flat of the blade, but since killing is against the tournament rules, I decided against that normal tactic."

"What an uncreative name for a move," Jaice replied sourly. _Though a damn useful one_, he thought. _My neck is pretty sore after that blow, and a hit like that to the back of my skull could knock me out of consciousness and this tournament. _

"Yes, but it did the job," Cren answered, advancing towards Jaice at a slow pace, still wary of his unpredictable assailant. "As I said, you're pretty tough to withstand that, especially since it doesn't look like I broke any bones. Sadly, that's expected given my lack of strength as you so blatantly pointed out earlier."

"Damn it, just shut up and fight!" Jaice declared, erupting from a crouched stance and plunging Sangren blindly forward. Cren replied with a series of quick steps to the side and rear until he was standing behind Jaice who could not halt his advance because of the massive momentum the brown-haired Shinigami had gained; the bespectacled warrior, now behind his machete wielding foe, fired a blast of White Lightning that not only damaged his opposition, but also pushed his ever faster forward.

Jaice let out a grunt of pain as the beam of electric kidou collided with his back, shut his eyes, and bit his lip as his blade collided with something hard, sending a shockwave into his hands, through his arms, and up into his shoulder and torso. _Damn, I think that move did more damage to me than his strike earlier_, mused Jaice. Upon opening his eyes, Jaice saw a troubling sight: Sangren was lodged in the arena wall. "Shit!"

"Well, Jaice, looks like you're in a troubling position," Cren cried cheerily. "You could abandon your zanpakuto and try to fight me using kidou, but judging by your wild attacks I doubt that's your style. You also have the option of trying to free it from the wall, but thanks to my plan and your strong charge that blade most likely will take some time to pry out, even if you possess a fair amount of strength. Now, how about we save time and you just surrender?"

"Wait...aren't these walls supposed to be reinforced and unbreakable?" Jaice questioned, looking again to ensure that his sword was truly stuck in the stone.

"No, it's only partly true," Cren said. "I've actually got a friend who is one of the referees for this tournament, and, as it turns out, while the walls are strong, they are nowhere near indestructible. The center is the thickest part, mainly so that separate parts of the arena don't end up fighting one another. The very outside, however, is weaker; it's not flimsy by any means, but it can be destroyed. You should actually county yourself lucky that you held your machete in from of you as you charged: my plan was to blast you into the wall and have the force of the impact knock you out, but because your sword hit first a great deal of the impact dissipated."

_Yes, just keep him talking_, Jaice thought as he continued to try and wriggle the sword free. _Any minute now I'll have Sangren out and I can shut him up! _Sadly, Jaice's efforts seemed to have no effect even as he struggled again and again against the polished stone of the arena wall.

"Well, since you seem to avoid the subject of surrender, I guess I'll just have to end this," Cren stated matter-of-factly, approaching Jaice with sword drawn. "It was a good fight, but now it's over." As Cren neared Jaice he swung rapidly, his blade whipping at high speed towards Jaice...but Cren seemed to have merely sliced air. He looked around, confused, until Jaice's laughter broke his train of thought.

"Looking for me, beanpole?" Jaice chuckled viciously from beside Cren.

"What the..." but before Cren could finish speaking he was forced to raise his katana to block an oncoming blow from Jaice's machete. The two grunted as their swords collided, but Cren's turned to a gasp as Jaice's blade bit into his chest and he was forced to jump back, a searing pain still gnawing at his chest.

"Arg, I really wish I didn't have to release before you did," Jaice muttered. "It feels so...boring, but I guess it gets the job done."

"Damn you! What is this...stuff?" Cren screamed as the greenish fluid ran down his chest and ate away at his clothes and skin. "And how did you get free?"

"I can answer both questions with one word: acid. Sangren's ability is to make acid which uses my own blood as its foundation, meaning that the liquid can't hurt me but is hell for my enemies."

"But, you said to use that ability you had to declare! I didn't hear you speak at all when I tried to strike you with my katana!" Cren wailed as the acid continued to run down his body.

"Whoever said a Shinigami had to yell out his command full blast? I said the usual line as a whisper to myself so that you wouldn't hear. The acid from Sangren ate away at the stone minutes ago, meaning my blade was freed before you even came over to strike me." Jaice said, smiling at his tactic.

"A clever ruse," Cren said, his voice returning to normal as the acid finally ran off his body and onto the ground, pooling and mixing with blood at his feet forming a murky, black liquid. "Now, I guess it's only fair that I use my shikai, especially since I can't beat you fighting the way I am at the moment."

"And I need to call out more acid," Jaice replied, noticing that Sangren was drier than he'd have liked. "Let's release together, eh?"

"Fine by me! Recall the past and distort the future, Januseiz!" Cren roared.

"Bleed, Sangren!" Jaice called back heartily. A new volume of acid began to bathe Jaice's machete blade as he turned to see what his opponent's shikai looked like.

Cren's face was expressionless as he hefted his strange shikai with both hands. It consisted of two blades jutting out in opposite directions from a central handle. One blade was wavy and had a color like that of the ocean, a shifting hue of cyans and viridians. The other half of the sword was a straight, serrated blade comprised of dark violet metal with a black sheen.

"That's an interesting weapon you've got there," Jaice said in awe, admiring the odd shape of his combatant's weapon. "It'll be fun to see what it does."

"You won't want to," Cren said. "My zanpakuto, Januseiz, deals with the mind. I only need to strike you once and you'll be reduced to nothing. Now, let's begin!"

"Glad we're finally done chatting! It's time to lose, Cren Fjorson!" Jaice roared as he charged Cren, who replied with a charge of his own. As they neared one another, their blades almost making contact with the other's body, Cren sidestepped at the final second.

"You fell for the same trick again, Jaice Gandaime! You'll pay an even bigger price this time!" Cren spat, slashing the 9th Squad Shinigami with the wavy blade.

Suddenly, Jaice found himself standing atop a podium, cheers erupting around him. "Jaice! Jaice! Gandaime-san! The best! Jaice the Ace!" He looked around and saw row upon row of Shinigami, literally thousands of individuals yelling congratulations to him. As the chorus of voices filled his ears, Jaice felt a cold hand clamp on his shoulder and wheeled around to see a massive muscular man wearing a suit of bronze-colored samurai armor on his body with a gray cowl over his face.

"You've bled enough people dry for sport, care to take a final challenge?" The man's voice echoed, a hollow sound almost like that of a rusted bell. Jaice didn't even answer with words, instead drawing Sangren and lunging at the armored man. The figure laughed as the machete deflected harmlessly off his polished suit of armor.

"I will show you how _true_ Shinigami fight...this is real power!" The man's voice boomed as he rushed at Jaice and kicked him six times in rapid succession: twice in the chest, thrice on the skull, and a final finishing blow to the groin. Jaice coughed as the man charged again, this time wielding a spear that seemed to have appeared from nowhere; the polearm pierced Jaice's chest as the man forced him back into the crowd of spectators. Jaice looked around for aid, yet the people who had once cheered for him now kicked at his injured body and threw stones as his bloodied skin, vile curses erupting from their mouths.

"Damn you bastards all to the seventh circle of Hell!" Jaice screamed, spinning on his back and kicking his legs outward, flooring a score of onlookers. He then saw his first opponent and charged the man, a punch aimed at his head. The blow connected before the armored man could dodge of block, and the massive kabuto shattered into millions of fragments. As the pieces fell to the ground, Jaice wrenched the man's spear from his hands, hit him across the back of the head with the butt of the weapon, and, abandoning the weapon, grabbed the man by both arms and ripped his mask off. Beneath the cowl Jaice saw the stunned face of Cren Fjorson.

As if he had never left, which it seemed he had not, Jaice found himself back in the arena, with several light slashes across his body and a pain in his head, chest, and groin; he had one fairly deep stab wound in his chest, but Jaice's searing anger made him ignore the obvious pain. He looked to see that he was gripping Cren Fjorson whose face was covered with blood, the right lens of his glasses had several cracks running across the pane but he looked otherwise unharmed.

"That was a neat little trick," Jaice growled, gripping Cren more tightly.

"Yes, I was able to get a few good hits on you when you were under the ability of Seiz, the Blade of the Future. It projects a vision to the one slashed, often causing them to panic and be at my mercy. You, however," here Cren paused before continuing, "are a special case. You were able to move fairly well while still under the spell, almost as if your body fought on against your mind."

"I've never been totally in sync," Jaice muttered, "but enough of your shit. I can't take these tricks anymore; I've got you in a good hold: surrender now and I won't have to break your spine."

"Temper temper," Cren replied calmly. "I haven't even shown you what my other blade, Janu, can do. Most people fear the future, and so Seiz is my original weapon of choice as it requires less reiatsu to sustain. Then again, some people's past troubles them infinitely more, and I'm willing to bet," at this Cren flipped Januseiz around and drove the violet blade into Jaice's gut, "that you're one of those people."

Hundreds of images flashed across Jaice's eyes as he fought to contain the horrible pain around him; he knew that Cren was slashing him repeatedly, yet that didn't make these visions any less real. No, there was truth behind all of them, things Jaice hadn't thought about in years, and others that haunted him daily: a short blond woman brought a younger Jaice a cup of tea, Baiten and Tairos argued with one another over the results of a bet, a Hollow consumed a Plus of an old man, a sword whipped in front of Jaice's face as he grabbed the blade and kicked the rugged man wielding it, Jaice was lying on a table with an IV in his arm, Jaice was alone in a pitch black room with screams echoing around him, a blond girl that looked like the woman cried as Jaice walked away, the same girl had her arms hacked off by a man whose back was the only visible part of his body, Jaice stroked a tabby cat, a whip snapped across Jaice's spine, a brand slammed against his flesh as he screamed in agony...and then one final vision that was longer and more vivid than any of the others.

Jaice was in a large room with little light, perhaps some sort of underground chamber. The room stretched into the shape of a massive sphere with walls that seemed to be composed of some sort of mud. Jaice looked at his body and saw that he was nearly naked, wearing only a set of torn green shorts. His body was covered with scars and dirt and there was a strange mark on his right arm. He looked around the room and noticed two dozen other men dressed similarly to him in similar states of filth with similar, yet slightly different, marks on their right arms. He heard a dull voice echo, "Let's begin phase three." All the men seemed to know what this meant as they rushed towards one another, their grimy hands clawing, their mangy legs kicking, their rotting teeth biting into one another's flesh and tearing it away in large chunks. Jaice watched the madness unfold, yet felt a strange desire to enter it. He jumped, flipping in the air, to land in the center of the fray where he slammed the heads of two men together. As they fell, he grabbed one's loincloth and wrapped it around the neck of another man, strangling him while simultaneously kicking the others who approached him. After a minute, the man was asphyxiated and Jaice let him drop, headbutting an approaching enemy as he did so. In the space of a few moments, all the other men lay dead or wounded at Jaice's feet. He let forth a primal scream, and then began to laugh. "Well done subject R. Prepare for phase four."

It was at this instant Cren Fjorson noticed a strange image float over the face of the man he had been slashing: it hadn't been easy, as Jaice had somehow dodged many of the strikes and recovered Sangren from the place he had dropped it during his first vision, but a good one in three attacks were landing and thus Cren knew he'd eventually win. The change, however, was startling, as Jaice burst out with a round of malicious, raucous laughter.

"You stupid son of a bitch!" Jaice chuckled madly, swinging Sangren around his head as he did so, dripping some acid onto his body. "You made me remember..."

"Remember what?" Cren questioned, his voice shaking. _This isn't good. He's a damn dangerous one to have his body and mind act independently of one another. I'll have to end this quick or there's no telling what will happen_. Cren rushed at Jaice who was still laughing maniacally.

"Don't you get it? I remembered them! I'm the 18th, and you're just a sack of bones!"

_He's sprouting gibberish_, Cren thought as he neared Jaice, _but one good strike and it's my win._ Cren brought his blade back to ready it for a final blow...

...but he was too late. A sharp shock shot through Cren's chest and he looked down to see Sangren buried in the wound it had initially made, a new stream of acid trickling into the already deep wound.

"Say it...say who's the king!" Jaice laughed hysterically. "Or perhaps you'd prefer to call me general? I don't give a damn, just show some respect!"

It was at this moment a tournament referee rushed in; she was about a head shorter than Jaice, but the stare in her eyes was determined as she rushed in, her purple ponytail flapping behind her as she ran. "This match is over, Jaice Gandaime, you've won. You can put Fjorson-san down now."

"And who might you be? My next meal?" Jaice cackled. "Let me finish him first."

"Oh God no, get him away from me! He's a mad man! Who knows what he'll do!" Cren cried, his entire body shuddering as he tried to pull away from Jaice who only held on ever tighter and twisted Sangren, causing Cren to scream and cough up blood.

"Jaice Gandaime, you are violating tournament protocol and causing unnecessary damage," the referee stated. "I, Kuyo Basan of the 2nd Squad, will be forced to administer excessive measures if you go anything further." Suddenly, Jaice's laughtered stopped and he stepped back from Cren. He looked at the damage, then at his own body, then at Sangren, then at Kuyo, shrugged, rewrapped Sangren, and swung the zanpakuto across his back.

"Ok, thanks then," Jaice said. "Sorry about the trouble, I just was having fun. Call me for my next match." With that, Jaice left his section of the arena and headed to the medical tent.

Kuyo Basan whistled and a Hell Butterfly flapped towards her, landing on her finger. _I'd better monitor Gandaime, he's a loose cannon. I'll report his actions to the authorities. I've never seen anyone act like that..._

Ten minutes later, two medics from Squad Four arrived to treat Cren's wounds. He was unable to speak except for one word: monster.

Character Profile: Cren Fjorson

Age: Unknown (appears 20 in human years)

Height: 198.12 cm (6 feet 6 inches)

Affiliation: Member of the 5th Squad

Rank: 9th Seat

Hobbies: Reading, research, jewel-cutting/appraisal, watching films

Zanpakuto: Januseiz

Shikai: Cren can release Januseiz by saying, "Recall the past and distort the future!" The sword has two blades, Janu, a straight, serrated violet blade with a black sheen, and Seiz, a wavy blue-green blade. When slashed with Janu, a person recalls a series of memories, though most are usually painful in some way. When struck by Seiz, the target views a hypothetical future situation meant to confuse them. Cren utilizes both methods to distract and disorient his enemies while he strikes them repeatedly, an important skill given his lack of strength and speed. Cren reveals, however, that using these illusions costs reiatsu, with Janu absorbing more energy; thus, he often tries to end fights quickly so as to avoid a prolonged encounter which he would have difficulty winning.


	13. The Long Awaited Rematch

Chapter 13: The Long Awaited Rematch: Jaice's Hatred, Shindou's Pride

Jaice strode proudly away from the 4th Squad Medical tent. With his injuries healed and a recent victory under his belt, he was ready for whatever else the tournament could throw at him. Little did he realize however, that his previous actions had done more than bring him into the next round.

As he strode back towards and arena, where he was told his next fight would be assigned, Jaice noticed that other Shinigami seemed to give him a wide berth. Apparently, news of his horrific victory over Cren Fjorson had spread, and no one was willing to risk the wrath of this seemingly sadistic man. Jaice could barely force himself to repress his smiles when others stepped from his path and whispered, "Demon, monster, sadist," as he walked past. It was better to be feared than to be loved, or so he had once been told.

One of the referees had sent Jaice a message an hour earlier, telling him the time and location of his match as well as warning Jaice that if he showed any similar actions to his previous fight, he would be taken in as a criminal on charges of attempted murder. "The purpose of this tournament is to test the abilities of Shinigami and help them improve," the letter had read, "not to kill off one another."

Jaice, however, cared more about winning his upcoming fight. As he entered his assigned section of the arena, his eyes lit up and he licked his lips in anticipation. Standing before him, standing erect with his left hand on his sheathed sword, stood Shindou.

"Hello, Jaice, it has been awhile," Shindou pleasantly greeted him. "How have you..."

"Screw you," Jaice shot back, cutting off Shindou mid-sentence. "Don't call me Jaice like we're friends or anything. I've been waiting months for a chance to kick your ass. I'm much stronger than the last time we fought, and this time I'm not going to hold back one bit."

"I've heard about your last match, _Gandaime-san_," Shindou said, putting emphasis on the title Jaice preferred, "and I must say you do sound more powerful, though it seems you still don't possess much self control."

"I have enough control not to slash off your head right this instant!" Jaice growled, his hands straying towards Sangren.

"Yes, but I doubt it'd do you much good, especially considering your current situation," Shindou answered calmly.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Jaice answered in a low voice, staring coldly at his 7th squad rival and opponent.

"I thought you'd have realized it by now," Shindou said. "After your performance against Cren Fjorson, do you think you wouldn't be placed under surveillance? Do you think Soul Society isn't taking action against you to prevent a future incident like that? Do you honestly believe it is pure coincidence that in only the second round of this tournament you were matched up against me, a Shinigami who has defeated you before, out of scores of competitors?"

"So this entire competition is a sham? A hoax just to keep tabs on me?"

"Gandaime-san, you're being far too conceited," Shindou replied. "No, the reasons for the tournament truly are to gage the ability of specific Shinigami in each squad to evaluate them for the purposes of promotion. If the potential members should die, however, it defeats the purpose of this venue, correct? Therefore, various methods were put in place to make sure that no one was gravely injured or killed during these bouts, and so I was pulled from a separate pool and placed against you. Soul Society wants you eliminated, you're too dangerous to have a high rank, at least until your temper cools."

Jaice broke out in laughter. "So my plan worked! I don't give a damn about promotions or rankings, those can wait until everyone here realizes my true power. All I want is to know I'm the best and to defeat strong opponents! I'm here for revenge, Shindou, revenge against you!"

_Did he honestly plan this out or is he just spouting shit?_ Shindou wondered, stroking his brow with his right hand. _No, he's just trying to psych me out. Given his reaction earlier, he's definitely still in the dark about most things. Oh well, I've beaten him before, and as my mission requires I'll do it again. Once I win, I'll be one step closer to the next round._

"Anyway, why would you tell me all this?" Jaice asked, his blood already boiling. His right hand closed around Sangren, closing the machete's handle in an iron grip.

"Oh, that's part of my mission as well," Shindou answered. "You seem to fight more dangerously when you're angry; the more annoyed you get, the better I can see and understand these strange abilities of yours."

"You're a damn fool, then!" Jaice laughed, drawing Sangren and rushing at Shindou. "The better I fight, the more likely it is that I'll win!" Shindou drew his sword with lightning speed, blocking Jaice's blow and forcing the 9th Squad member back with a mighty push. Jaice charged again, and their swords locked for a second time; this time, however, Jaice gained the upper hand and pushed Shindou back, nearly causing the 7th Squad Shinigami to lose his footing. Shindou rapidly regained his balance and took a fighting stance.

"I'm not going to waste time with your games! Shingai, Denkou-doki!" Bolts of electricity danced around Shindou's blade as the weapon itself began to elongate and become sharper.

"That's exactly what I wanted to see! Since we last fought, I've learned my shikai too! Bleed, Sangren!" Acid began to coat Jaice's sword as he and Shindou circled around one another, initial releases at the ready to strike the opposition. "Let's fight without holding anything back, Shindou! Let's see who's the better fighter!"

_His blood is boiling now. I can only pray it clouds his judgment_, Shindou mused before looking at Jaice's weapon. _There's some kind of liquid on the blade. Judging by the searing sound and holes it makes in the arena floor when it falls, I'll assume it's some sort of corrosive acid. Nevertheless, it's still a good conductor, so if I can just force him to block one of my strikes he'll be shocked into submission just like the last time we fought. Still, it's best to stay on the defensive and react to his moves._

"Damn it, if you won't make the first move, then I guess I will!" Jaice stated proudly, rushing towards Shindou while wheeling Sangren around his head, sending blobs of acid flying across the arena. Shindou dodged most of the liquid, but a few drops hit him here and their, searing bits of his kimono and exposed skin.

_It doesn't hurt too much_, Shindou thought as he watched the greenish liquid eat through the epidermis on his right wrist. _Then again, I was only touched by a bit, so it's best to assume that this stuff is dangerous._ Shindou, however, did not have sufficient time to ponder Jaice's attacks any further as the machete came whizzing towards his head at an alarming speed. Shindou instinctively stepped backwards, increasing the time of impact while enabling himself to block Jaice's strike. "Prepare for the shock of your life!" Shindou laughed, the bad pun amusing him as he saw his plan come to fruition; yet, the instant before Jaice's sword connected with his own, the 9th Squad Shinigami twisted the blade and pulled backward, changing the attack to a stab and avoiding Shindou's block entirely. Shindou watched in horror as his opponent's weapon edged closer to his chest; the strike was too quick, there was no way to dodge...but that didn't mean he was out of options.

Jaice smiled as he watched Shindou sword glide in front of his weapon, realizing his plan had succeeded. _Even if he tries to swing his sword back down to parry mine will already be buried in his chest. Nice try, Shindou, but I've been thinking about your style and weaknesses for weeks now. _

The sound of sword-point burying itself in flesh seemed to echo across the arena, causing both men to look down at their chests. Jaice's machete had been into Shindou, yet the 7th Squad member, holding his sword awkwardly upward at a 45 degree angle, had also managed to implant his weapon in his rival's torso. A second passed and nothing seemed to happen and then, all at once, Jaice's body shook, electricity coursing through his body, while Shindou screamed in agony as the acid ran into his wound and down his skin. Both men leaped back, not wanting to suffer any more damage so early in the fight.

"Shit...how the hell did you do that?" Jaice spat, blood spewing both from the wound in his chest and his lips.

"As you moved...closer," Shindou strained, the words coming in gasps, "I had less than a second to make a choice. Had I...tried to block...you still...would have struck...me. Had I attempted to dodge...you merely could...have...changed the arc of your attack...and landed a blow. Thus...the only viable option...was...to...stab at you from above...where my sword ended up...after my failed...parry. My sword is...longer than yours...so I prevented you from making...too deep a wound."

"You're pretty damn lucky, then," Jaice growled, "because it looks like I ripped you open pretty well. Also, your little jab didn't do too much to me. The electric jolt was a bit of...a shock, shall we say? Anyway, enough with the terrible humor, time to end this, unless you'd like to surrender to avoid the slim chance that I kill you."

Shindou continued to pant heavily, barely able to remain standing as he listened to Jaice's speech. _How the hell did he get so powerful and so clever in such a short space of time? No, that was just a trick, I was overconfident. If I just keep more calm and reserved, I know that I can beat him. I can't afford to lose now, I've come too far in my life for that to happen. I have no choice, I may have to use my hidden strength if I want to win after such damage. _

"I decline, Gandaime-san," Shindou muttered, a new resolve appearing as his voice grew louder and his balance improved. "I've done too much to lose now. No matter how many times you stab me, no matter how much blood I lose, no matter how much I fall, I will never tire, I will never falter, I will never lose! That is my duty and my mission as both a warrior and a man. Now, face me and we'll see if you can repeat the action of hitting me."

_How the hell is he managing to recover to quickly?_ Jaice wondered as he continued to watch blood pooling at Shindou's feet. _Well, a few more strikes should put him in enough pain to defeat him. I've also figured out how to avoid his blocks and I should be able to dodge his strikes, so he won't be able to electrocute me unless I make a mistake. _

Shindou planted his feet in a wide stance, twisting his torso so as to only expose his left side, his sword held perpendicular to the ground, ready to defend him from Jaice's onslaught. Jaice showed his teeth in anticipation and charge, weaving side to side at a rapid pace. Shindou maneuvered exquisitely, dodging most of Jaice's stabs and swings, yet he was unable to land a blow upon the his opponent who dodged seemingly just before Denkou-doki struck him. As Jaice dodged Shindou's tenth retaliation attack, however, Jaice drove Sangren into Shindou's right arm. Yet, Shindou did not recoil in pain, and instead kicked Jaice and slashed him with his own weapon before Jaice removed his sword and retreated temporarily.

"How am I not hurting you? That blow was far more painful than the last!" Jaice cried as he watched the stream of acid trickle across Shindou's right forelimb.

"Oh, did you think electrifying and lengthening my blade was all my Shikai did?" Shindou declared heartily as he watched the anguished Jaice rub at the slash wound on his back. "It also has an ability that I don't need to declare but need to silently call upon if I wish, though it does drain some reiatsu. My sword, Denkou-doki, allows me to run its own electric current through my body, forcefully disabling my nerves and effectively making me immune to pain. Sure, it's terrible to recover afterwards, since usually I take unnecessary blows and my nerves require a great deal of healing kidou, but for battles of attrition like this it puts me at a definite advantage and ensures my success."

As Shindou finished speaking, Jaice erupted into a spat of sadistic laughter, throwing his head back and clutching at his ribs with his free hand. "Oh that's rich. You think you can beat _me_ in a duel of attrition? Unlike you, I experience pain the way a real man should, straight and unaltered. I've learned to cope with horrible pain, yet my instincts will still allow me to protect myself from too much damage. My innate ability is much better than that of your shikai."

Shindou shook his head. "Even so, my pain threshold will be higher than yours. And a real man knows how and when to use the advantages at his disposal. It's no different than the fact that every Shinigami possesses a different shikai and different specializations. Does it make our captains weaker because they can utilize Bankai against one who can't? Of course not, it only means they know how to best use every beneficial trait they have. I don't give a damn if you dislike or, most likely, are afraid of my abilities. Let's see whose words can back up his fighting prowess, eh?" But Jaice was already a step ahead of Shindou and was already within striking distance by the time the latter finished speaking.

Jaice slashed at Shindou's head, only to pull his sword back before it could be parried, with Shindou's weapon missing the machete by mere millimeters. Jaice replied by delivering a side-kick to his opponent's stomach, but Shindou did not even feel the pain and continued forward, slashing his weapon across Jaice's right shoulder, tearing both cloth and flesh. Jaice gritted his teeth to ignore the pain as an electric impulse coursed through his body and blood from his recent wound splattered across his face and the arena floor.

Shindou pulled back his sword as he looked over Jaice, who now was covered in blood and had his kimono ripped in over a dozen locations. Yet more interestingly, upon looking at Sangren, Shindou noticed something even more intriguing. Without another moment of hesistation, Shindou rushed at Jaice whose movements were now appreciably slower as a result of blood loss. Jaice, however, showed no signs of surrender as he continued to dodge and strike at Shindou, looking for an opening and ignoring the increased difficulty of raising a zanpakuto with partly ripped muscles.

_My movements are getting slower_, Jaice thought, flipping backwards to dodge one of Shindou's stabs, feeling warmth from Denkou-deki's electricity only inches from his forehead. _Damn him, he's damaged my shoulder to hinder my fighting abilities. Obviously, he wants to cripple me enough so that I can't continue fighting no matter how much I want to. I have to admit, for my normal style his strategy is nearly flawless. Nearly..._

Shindou leaped sideways and landed next to Jaice, before kicking the 9th squad member in the jaw. Jaice reeled back, spat up blood, but then charged again at Shindou, Sangren extended in front of him. "I won't surrender, Shindou, not ever. I need to defeat you, even if it kills me!" Shindou smiled to himself and raised his weapon to block the strike; Jaice anticipated this move, and twisted his sword back, so as to avoid the parry, yet Shindou had foreseen this as well and drove his weapon through Jaice's stomach; yet, despite the damage and the copious amounts of blood flowing from Jaice's body, the 9th Squad Shinigami continued to move forward, jamming his sword into the wound he had ripped open on Shindou earlier in the battle.

"I've...won..." Jaice painted, blood running from the sides of his mouth. "Soon, the acid will flow deeper into your wound and start destroying your internal organs. If you want to survive, you'll need to admit defeat."

Shindou shook his head and pointed at Jaice's zanpakuto with his right hand. "Wrong, there isn't enough acid left to do anything." Jaice looked in horror to see little more than a trickle of acid on his blade, a sharp contrast to the liquid that normally coated Sangren's released form.

"N...no! Damn...how...is...that...possible?" Jaice grunted, twisting his machete in a vague attempt to damage Shindou.

"You see," Shindou stated, punching Jaice in the forehead, sending his opponent flying across the arena floor, only to slam into a wall while still clutching Sangren, "I was informed that your sword secretes acid which cannot damage you because it is composed partly of your own blood. As we fought, I noticed that the more you bled, the less acid was on your sword. Though you can control when the acid flows and does not, your body must cut off the supply at a certain volume in order to maintain a level of blood that can keep you alive. Even if you wanted to, it seems that you are limited to how much acid you can produce. I will admit, however, that it took quite a bit of blood loss to see any sufficient decrease, so you needn't fear this weakness in shorter battles."

"Well...interesting...that you could...figure that out," a barely conscious Jaice rasped, "but...why tell me...all of this?"

"You said so yourself, Gandaime-san, we're rivals," Shindou pointed out. "This was a difficult fight for me; I barely won. Next time, perhaps you'll be the victor, but for now it's over. I doubt you can even stand, which is lucky, seeing as I need medical treatment almost as much as you do."

"Damn...you..." Jaice muttered, "I...can't...fail..." the world went black for Jaice as he watched the referee arrive to declare Shindou the victor. When the 4th Squad medics arrived, they were surprised to see Jaice, a man who had caused so much damage in the previous round, in such a horrid condition.

As Jaice and Shindou were borne away on stretchers, a Hell Butterfly floated onto Shindou's wounded fingers. "Congratulations," was all it said before flying away.

Character Profile: Shindou, last name Unknown

Age: Unknown (appears 25 in human years)

Height: 180.34 cm (5 feet 11 inches)

Affiliation: Member of the 7th Squad

Rank: 4th Seat

Hobbies: Reading, writing, training, computer repair/customization

Zanpakuto: Denkou-deki (Lightning-Wrath)

Shikai: Shindou can release his zanpakuto by declaring Shingai, the Japanese word for Shock! Denkou-deki's blade then lengthens, becoming several inches longer. The blade also becomes wreathed in electricity, allowing strikes from the blade hurt more and making opponents less likely or unable to block strikes, as the sword will send a current through the other blade when they contact, shocking the enemy. Shindou's sword also allows him to run electricity through his own body, disabling pain-impulses from his nerves and allowing him to fight through periods of protracted pain. This second ability, however, means that Shindou's recovery time after such a battle is sufficiently longer than normal.


	14. Fightin' Baiten and the Wrangler

Chapter 14: Fightin' Baiten and the Wrangler

"Thanks again, hope I don't have to see you any time soon!" Baiten called as he left the 4th Squad medical tent. Luckily, he hadn't sustained many wounds against Arda, so his period of healing had been short. He had to wait awhile, however, as priority cases were treated first. Even after his injuries were fixed, Baiten had to wait an hour before the Hell Butterfly arrived to inform him of the location of his next match.

Baiten felt excited, and more than a bit nervous, to be fighting in the tournament for a second time. He'd beaten a 3rd Seat, but that battle had been a matter of luck and he was doubtful he'd have such good fortune twice in one day. Baiten took one, long breath, stretched his legs and arms briefly, and kept marching forward, entering his assigned section of the arena.

"Well, howdy!" A cry rang across the section, stunning Baiten and causing the young Shinigami to stumble for a second, managing to catch his balance and look at his opponent. Across from Baiten stood a Shinigami of medium height wearing the standard uniform of the 5th Squad; his face was strong and rugged looking, the shadow of his whiskers clearly visible across his cheeks; this man had piercing hazel eyes and blond hair, only because a ponytail extended from under the Shinigami's mahogany hued cowboy hat.

"Hi there, you startled me," Baiten said with a jolt. "My name's Baiten Seisha and I'm a member of the 9th Squad."

"The name's Martin Turgan Jirun Kayana the Third, but you can just call me Mack," the Shinigami answered, his accent dotted with a hint of southwestern flavor. "I'm from the 5th squad, a 6th seat to be precise."

"Pleased to meet you," Baiten replied politely. _Wait, I shouldn't be too cordial with this guy, we're about to do battle_, Baiten thought. _I mean, it's good to respect your opponent, but let's hope I'm not taking it too far..._

"Charmed, as well," Mack said, tipping his hat in a salute before running his finger along the brim. "You seem like an awfully nice guy, it'll be a shame to have to rough you up."

"I feel the same way," Baiten answered, "but you've got one thing wrong: you're going to be the one beaten."

"All fights start this way," Mack sighed, walking forward as he spoke. "The two combatants size each other up, exchange some insults, maybe a few compliments, and then each brags that he himself will be the victor. It's really a shame: all the enemies I've beaten in these tournaments are like that; even most Hollows act that way."

"So...you've fought in this tournament before?" Baiten inquired.

"Yes sir," The 5th squad member stated. "This is my fourth time. Last time I made it to the final four, but got knocked out. This year, though, the applicant pool was cut down to a smaller size than usual, meaning it'll be easier for me to get to the top."

"You forget that you'll have to best me first; I may not look like much, but I've got a lot of fight in me," Baiten shot back.

"Speak through your blade; we'll see which of us is the more skilled!" Mack paused, and the wind whipped up dust clouds from the arena floor around the two. "Now draw!" Before Baiten's right hand closed around the handle of his sword he felt a rush of air and a sharp pain in his left leg. He gritted his teeth in a vain attempt to ignore the biting pain coursing through his lower left limb, while simultaneously pulling his own sword free of its scabbard. He turned his head, searching for Mack's whereabouts within the arena.

Out of the corner of his right eye, Baiten saw the brim of Mack's hat. The black haired Shinigami whirled to his right, holding his sword in position to block while standing in a defensive back stance. He was caught off guard again, however, and felt Mack's blade plunge into his right leg.

"Wanna quit now?" Mack asked, appearing directly in front of Baiten but just out of sword range. "I've sliced your tendons; it's my standard strategy. You legs won't work, so you really won't be able to stand against me."

"How do you move so fast?" Baiten inquired, staring directly at the smiling face of his cowboy-esque competitor.

"That's a little secret," Mack answered, winking. "If you win, maybe I'll be nice enough and tell you. But, then again, you're already slower than me when both your legs _do_ work."

"I won't allow myself to lose by forfeit," Baiten stated, gripping his zanpakuto tightly in his right hand while his left hung loosely near his legs. "I'll only accept a loss if I fought my very hardest!"

"Suit yourself," Mack said, shrugging his shoulders. "This next blow will probably end it. It's a shame you weren't as good of a fighter as I thought you'd be. Oh well." Mack finished speaking, but before he could move a blindly light filled his eyes.

"Judge, Justare!" Baiten declared, his katana transforming into its shikai form; the rapier blade shimmered as a wave of light flashed before Mack's eyes, temporarily blinding the 5th Squad Shinigami. As he realized his situation, Mack started to chuckle.

"Excellent, Baiten, truly spectacular. You may be unable to move, but now I''m blind. And excellent way to level the playing field."

"Oh, but you're wrong," a voice announced from behind Mack. "I can move just fine," Baiten informed his opponent while slashing Mack twice across each arm. The 5th Squad member, though unable to see, moved forward as soon as he felt the blow, and so the damage was minimized.

"That was lucky on your part, Mack," Baiten announced. "You moved forward just in time to dodge one of my stabs which would have pierced your back and ended this match."

"Yes, don't think I've never fought blind before," Mack chuckled. "That's not to say I like fighting without the sense of sight, but it's doable. A few years back I fought against six Hollows in a dust storm, lost two of my best friends that day too. But anyway, enough of my life's story; what I want to know is, how could you move again after I slashed your tendons like that?"

Now it was Baiten's turn to act smug. "Tell me the secret of your speed, and I'll tell you the secret of my movement."

Mack smiled and turned to face the area he heard Baiten's voice coming from. "I suppose that's fair. Have you ever heard of shunpo?"

"You mean the Art of the Flash Step?" Baiten asked. "I don't know much about it, except that it leads to a massive increase in speed at the cost of reiatsu and that only higher level Shinigami are capable of using it."

"That's correct," Mack said. "Then again what you saw, or rather didn't see, was the fact that my version of shunpo is very rudimentary. I've only been able to use flash step for two years, so my skill at it is still very limited and it's difficult to modulate the reiatsu cost."

_So essentially he just revealed his weakness_, Baiten thought. _All I need to do is make him waste his reiatsu through shunpo. Then, when he's weak, I can take him down without much effort. _

"Anyway, now that I've revealed my skill it's time for you to fess up about yours," Mack said.

"Healing kidou," Baiten stated immediately. "I'm not exactly the best at zanjutsu or kidou, but I'm decent at both. Thus, I've tried to strengthen my kidou skills lately since I'd only been focusing on sword techniques for awhile. I was able to focus my reiatsu and mend my tendons; it wasn't exactly easy, but I made sure to force you into conversation which gave me time to surreptitiously heal my injuries." _I'm also not going to mention that I'm still learning to heal well, and so I wasted more reiatsu than I should have_, Baiten thought.

"Now, that's ironic," Mack said, "because I've just done the same thing to you! Wrangle, Boloira!"

"Damn!" Baiten cursed, realizing his folly. He saw that Mack was staring straight at him and had edged forward somewhat. He also saw that a lasso was flying through the air towards him. Baiten ran, trying to dodge the rope, but it caught his left leg and pulled him to the ground. As Baiten slammed into the arena floor, he felt an intense pain in his leg as the rope constricted tighter and tighter around his ankle.

Pain shot through Baiten's leg as Mack whipped the rope back, pulling the 9th Squad member into his range.

"Like I said, I've fought blind before," Mack stated.

"Isn't that oddly convenient?" Baiten grunted as pain shot through his body.

"As I said, it's not easy. In fact, if you hadn't kept speaking, I'd never have found you and you could've slashed me a few times by now."As Mack continued to reel his opponent in, Baiten screamed as the uneven stones of the arena floor tore through his skin and clothing.

_It's lucky his sight hasn't returned yet,_ Baiten thought. _I could easily use Justare again if need be, but it'd be better to save reiatsu just in case he's got some other tricks. For ow, I need to free myself_. Building on that thought, Baiten hacked at the rope binding his foot, yet the slashes seemed to have no effect on the lariat.

"I take by that sound your sword is making that you're attempting to slash my lasso," Mack announced. "Don't bother; I run my reiatsu through it to instantaneously repair the strands; you won't able to cut it up for quite awhile yet." As he spoke, an idea flashed through Baiten's mind and he rammed Justare into the ground to act as the anchor. Mack continued to pull, and Baiten strained to keep from moving.

"Struggling eh? You're as stubborn as a mule, Baiten!" Mack laughed. "And, did I forget to mention, my sight seems to be coming back. It's still hazy, but I can see your outline. Also, don't try that blinding trick again." With that, Mack released his left hand from the lariat while still gripping it with his right; with his left thumb and index finger, Mack lowered the brim of his hat over his eyes.

"Aren't...you...still...fighting...blind then?" Baiten grunted as he struggled to keep himself from moving towards Mack. _He's damn strong, _Baiten mulled. _I can't keep this hold for long. Either Justare is going to snap, my arm is going to break, or both._

"Sort of, but not quite," Mack answered, his left hand returning to tug on the rope. "I can now choose when to look at least, and by the time I need to look at you, there'll be no chance that you can blind me."

"Don't...be...so...sure," Baiten gasped as pain continued to shoot through his lower extremities. "Nothing can exceed...the speed...of...light."

"That's why I've got to take you down either before you can use your ability or before we enter a situation where it actually helps you. Once you're close to me, I can just sense your movements through hearing; then, I'll be free to kick you around a bit and win this match. But first, I've got to get you close in!" Mack tugged harder than he had before and Baiten smiled wickedly.

"I'll be happy to oblige then!" Baiten shouted, prying Justare free from the stones around him.

"So you're giving up, eh?" Mack guffawed as Baiten flew through the air towards him. Mack stood in a standard fighting stance, his right leg back, readying for a kick.

"No, quite the opposite, I'm about to win!" Baiten said as he thrust Justare in front of him as he was only several feet away from Mack. The 5th Squad member could do nothing, as the massive force of the pull launched Baiten's outstretched blade straight into the wrangler's chest. Mack spluttered as the rapier rammed through his ribs.

"Damn...that was...smart..." Mack coughed, blood running down his kimono. He paused for a second as his head sank, before raising it rapidly. "But not smart enough to beat me!" With a swift motion, Mack push-kicked Baiten away from him, before punching the 9th Squad Shinigami once in the face. Baiten staggered, giving Mack the time he needed to swing his lasso around both of Baiten's arms. Mack swung Baiten in a wide circle, slamming the black-haired Shinigami into one of the arena walls; Mack then flipped the position of his hands and changed the type of movement, ramming Baiten into the stone floor beneath them.

Baiten looked up from the arena floor. He could not stand; too many of his bones were crushed, and he did not know the necessary healing kidou to recover from such injuries. _How did I lose? My plan was perfect! I hit him dead on! Am I...am I too weak? Am I a failure? No, this can't be the end of the fight, I have to keep going!_ With that in mind, Baiten tried to push himself upright, but his muscles would not respond. "H...how...did I...lose?" He murmured before losing concioussness.

"You're an excellent fighter Baiten, but I'm better," Mack stated as he watched the medical team enter to retrieve Baiten. "In a few more years, you might equal me, but by then I'll be stronger too. Strive to do your best, but always know that sometimes you just can't win."

"The winner is Martin Turgan Jirun Kayana the Third!" The referee cried as Mack was helped out of the arena by a 4th Squad member.

Character Profile: Martin Turgan Jirun Kayana the Third aka "Mack"

Age: Unknown (appears 33 in human years)

Height: 173.99cm (5 feet 8.5 inches)

Affiliation: Member of the 5th Squad

Rank: 6th Seat

Hobbies: Raising livestock, camping, hunting, playing the violin/fiddle

Zanpakuto: Boloira

Shikai: Mack can release his zanpakuto by saying, "Wrangle, Boloira!" His sword morphs into a lasso. The weapon itself seems to have no inherent abilities, though Mack's style of fighting allows him to use the lariat to trip, ensnare, reel in, swing around, disarm, and strangle opponents. Mack sends a stream of reiatsu through the rope, causing Boloira to be very resilient and almost impossible to sever. It is theorized that Mack can also alter the length of his rope with reiatsu, with a greater cost necessary to sustain a greater length.


	15. Maintaining the Balance

Chapter 15: Maintaining the Balance

HES: Hey guys, I am posting this author's note at the top to inform you of two things. Number one is an apology for my erratic update schedule; I originally planned to have the finished the tournament arc by the end of April, but one thing led to another and I'm behind schedule; I will try to update more frequently. The second thing is that this chapter sees the introduction of a new ability of my own devising; now, I don't know if there are any parallels to it in the Bleach continuity (if so, I have not heard of them) but I think this skill would work and has a precedent. Anyway, enough of my ranting; on with the chapter!

Tairos had been awake for only ten minutes or so and his mind was already swimming with questions. He had expected to awake in the 4th Squad medical tent after his injuries had healed, and yet instead he found himself in a fairly large field with no buildings in sight. He was initially at ease, thinking he was still in a dream, until he felt an energy close around his arms and inhibit his movement. Tairos tried to stand and struggle, but the six beams of light hovering around his torso prevented him from doing little more than shuffling a few inches back and forth.

"Where the hell is the ass who did this to me?" Tairos called out. "You can't be far, you have to be maintaining this Way of Binding, at least to some degree!"

"Well, at least you know _something_ about kidou," a calm, yet slightly condescending voice said back to him. The sound seemed to be emanating from behind Tairos, but he was unable to shift his position and see who was speaking. "I guess the old man wasn't lying after all."

"Isn't respecting your elders one of the basic tenants of Shinigami doctrine?" Tairos questioned his seemingly crass questioner.

"I just stated a fact, he's over the hill!" The voice shot back.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you need to point it out. Elders are usually sources of wisdom, strength, and life experience." Tairos replied. "Anyway, can you tell me why you've captured and brought me...wherever we are?"

"We're still in Soul Society," the voice replied; by the cadence of the words, Tairos inferred that the speaker was female, though he could not be entirely sure. "This is a natural area, unspoiled by buildings or civilization. Many Shinigami, especially members of the 11th Squad, come here to train."

"But that still doesn't answer my question of why I'm here," Tairos said, annoyance building in his voice.

"Hm...and I always expected you to be the brains of your cell," the voice replied, pausing briefly. "Well, I'll cut to the chase. My grandpa and your boss, Crowe, was impressed by your skills in your match, but he was also disheartened that you didn't make use of your full potential. He wanted to help train you himself, but he's proceeded to later rounds of the tournament, so he won't be free for a few more hours. So, instead, he sent me," at that, the speaker was revealed as she walked in front of Tairos.

She was a rather average looking girl: she was neither tall nor short, he hair was black and hung loosely about her shoulders. Her eyes were brown and she wore a standard obsidian-colored kimono. Her face was slightly pretty, causing Tairos to grin.

"So how about you release me and we start the training, eh?" Tairos said. "I want to get stronger, but I also want to get the hell out of here as soon as possible so I can watch my friends fight."

"I hate to disappoint you, but they've already been eliminated," the girl answered. "Gramps claimed you were the strongest of the three, which confuses me because that short kid ended up getting closest to the third round, but even he was knocked out. Your other friend, the insane one..."

"Wait...you think I'm the strongest?" Tairos cut her off.

"You're definitely the most attractive of the three, but I'm not sure of your power level, since I haven't seen you fight yet." She answered.

"I'll take that first part as a compliment," Tairos said. "Anyway, can you remove these bars? I know it's a high level way of binding, and I understand if you'd like to show off, but I can't train without the ability to move."

"That was _supposed_ to be step one of your training," the girl answered, "but obviously you can't break free. Don't feel bad, even vice-captain level Shinigami have trouble breaking free from kidou of this level. I also had been told that you're a bit lazy and avoid training, so I expected to need to bind you before you could protest. Anyway, let's begin. Release!" The bonds disappeared from around Tairos's body and he flexed his arms, smiling as he stood.

"You seem like a bit of a show off, but obviously you've got some skill, too," Tairos said. She scowled at him, but he continued. "You're probably more powerful than I am."

"I'm most definitely more powerful than you are," she said solidly. "Now, let's start with..."

"Wait a minute, you still never gave me your name. You obviously know I'm Tairos, and who're you?"

"The call me Ellita," the girl replied. "Now, as I was saying, we're going to start by taking a look at what you've got so far. There are four forms of Shinigami combat: zanjutsu, hoho, hakuda, and kidou."

"Yeah, swordsmanship, foot techniques, unarmed combat, and demon arts," Tairos said, nodding.

"Correct. I'm going to assume that you have no experience with hoho or hakuda, so I'm going to let my grandpa handle those fields when he finally gets around to training with you. Instead, we're going to focus on the two areas you have some level of ability in: zanjutsu and kidou." Ellita stated.

"But I suck with the blade, my shikai is more suited to spells anyway," Tairos moaned. "Can't we just work on perfecting my kidou?"

In a split second, Ellita was standing in front of Tairos, the tip of her unsheathed zanpakuto less than a centimeter away from his throat. "What good is kidou in a situation like this? I could slice your throat before you could declare and cast; don't even try chanting, as that'd take way too long. So, neither binding nor offensive kidou would save you in this situation. Now, if you had some skill in hoho, like I do, it would be a different story. However, your best bet is to try and dodge, block, or counter an attack of this nature using either your zanpakuto or martial arts. I see now that my earlier assumption was correct, because a Shinigami well-versed in hakuda would've already avoided this strike or caught my blade."

Tairos shivered as he saw the cold look of determination in Ellita's eyes. "C...can you put that down?" He stuttered, sweat beading on his forehead. Ellita sighed and sheathed her weapon.

"That was a test to gauge both your defensive abilities and reactions to dangerous situations. Needless to say, you failed. I've really got my work cut out for me; lets hope your boss shows up soon to relieve me, I hate working with weaklings."

"I'm not weak," Tairos answered, the blood boiling in his veins. "Let's train, and I'll show you the extent of my power."

"Ha, we'll see. I'm not even going to bother using more than ten percent of my total skill level; heck, I bet five percent will be sufficient to kill you, and if you're dead grandpa won't build me that new sofa I want."

"Stop trying to psych me out and let's start for real!" Tairos challenged.

"If you insist," Ellita shrugged. "Draw your sword, and let's begin." Tairos obliged, pointing his weapon at Ellita's head.

"Just don't be angry if I injure you," Tairos declared haughtily, internally sure that his boast would be nigh impossible to back up against an opponent of Ellita's skill level. _She looks so young, yet she's so talented_, Tairos thought. _She must be some sort of prodigy. And, if she's Crowe's granddaughter, than he's obviously a lot stronger than my fight with him led me to believe, especially since it sounds like he helped her train._

"Your stance is poor," Ellita stated coldly. "I can think of sixteen ways to trip you up and four methods to disarm you, of which I suspect you could only avoid two at most."

"Cut the crap and let's get this over with," Tairos said, letting out a long sigh after he finished his sentence. "Seriously, I hate training, and shooting the breeze won't make it go any faster." At this point, Tairos swung his zanpakuto at Ellita, only to watch her dodge artfully before kicking him once in the gut and twice in the face. Tairos shuddered and started to collapse, but not before Ellita punched him in the chest and slammed his legs with the flat of her own blade. As Tairos slammed into the ground beneath him, churning up grass and soil in the process, Ellita slammed her right foot on his chest and held her weapon an inch from his nose.

"There, it's over," Ellita said, stepping off her vanquished adversary and sheathing her weapon. "You're not worth my time. You can't even utilize two of the Shinigami tenants of fighting and of one of the two you actually _can_ use is next to worthless against anything stronger than a blind baby."

"Fine then, leave if you want. I hate training anyway, and I'll get strong my own way," Tairos growled, pushing himself upright. _What do I need that bitch for anyway? I'll be fine on my own._

Ellita started to walk away but after taking five steps she turned around and opened her mouth. "If you die before you reach your full potential, you'll never know what you're capable of. That is why we train: to survive and attempt to reach the unattainable goal of perfection. I believe you have some skill in kidou, but if you lack the mentality to improve, it isn't worth my time to stick around here. Just wait for a few hours and the old man may show up; he's a lot more patient than I am and can probably teach you a lot more anyway."

Suddenly, a memory flashed thought Tairos's mind, as capricious and quicksilver yet vivid enough to reveal an essential truth. _"You're lucky that the final examination in the academy this year was based on reiatsu manipulation and kidou," _a gruff voice echoed from the memory. _"Had it been anything else you would surely have failed. It's a shame you're so lazy, Tairos, I once thought that you might even succeed me. Alas, I hate to say it, but you will probably plateau within the next ten years. After you learn your shikai, that is if you ever can, you will reach your pinnacle. I have seen other Shinigami like you, and it always ends the same way; they become skilled, but never strong. They become confined to eradication of lower levels Hollows, or in some cases are recalled to menial tasks like paperwork. But why even waste my time telling you this? You probably aren't even listening. Run along and see your friends, they'll be glad to hear you passed the examination."_

_But I haven't plateaued. I'm getting stronger every day, and I'll keep improving,_ Tairos told himself. "Hey, Ellita, let's train for real. I agree it's a better idea to let Crowe work on my weaker areas, so for now can you help me with my specialty, kidou?"

Ellita looked quizzical for a second, but then flashed a brief smile. "Fine then. If you really impress me, maybe I'll try and teach you something new."

"Ok, what should I do first?" Tairos asked.

"Well, I can already sense the level of reiatsu you posses and from that I glean that you probably don't know more than forty-percent of the Ways of Destruction and Binding," Ellita declared. "So, instead, I want to see the strongest ability that you possess. Show it to me, if you would."

"May I use my shikai?" Tairos asked. "It augments my kidou-based attacks."

"Go ahead," Ellita said, sounding and appearing unimpressed as Tairos released his weapon.

"Balance, Librar!" Tairos stated strongly as his katana transformed into a staff before their eyes. "My best ability is Way of Destruction Number Thirty-Three."

"See that tree over there?" Ellita said, indicating a conifer about a quarter of a mile away from them. "That's your target."

"Fine then, here we go!" Tairos muttered the necessary incantation under his breath before focusing his reiatsu through Librar and crying out, "Way of Destruction Number Thirty-Three, Blue Fire, Crash Down!" A massive blast of azure flame sprang from Librar's tip and rushed through the air. As it came in contact with the trunk, the fire sprang upward and began incinerating the entire tree. Within several seconds only a pile of ash and some bits of branches remained where the tree was.

"Wow, I didn't expect that kind of power," Ellita remarked, "but I'm glad you have the ability to do _something_. Obviously, without your zanpakuto the blast would be weaker, but that does not detract from the magnificence of the move."

"Nice to see I can finally do something to please you," Tairos said sarcastically. "I assume that isn't all."

"Far from it," Ellita giggled, an odd expression between joy and sadism dawning on her face. "I'm impressed enough to try and teach you something new. Now, obviously you know that Shinigami are not the only creatures that possess reiatsu: Hollows, and in some cases even humans, have reiatsu though it is of a different sort and is utilized for different attacks. For instance, some Hollows can fire blasts of reiatsu known as Cero, something similar in effect and appearance to some of our Demon Arts, yet possessing a specifically distinct manner. Are you following so far?"

"I suppose so, go on."

"Now, most kidou focuses on mid or long range attack; no matter how good of a swordsman your opponent is, if you can take him down before he gets into striking range, you've won. Most Shinigami who focus on zanjutsu try to find ways around this problem, such as training in hoho to learn shunpo or by creating their own form of dodging; some even attempt to learn ways to deflect or resist kidou." Ellita continued. "Now, what if your opponent fought in the same way you do, keeping his enemy at range and firing blasts of reiatsu? If he was less skilled than you, victory would be almost assured. But if his kidou was better or he possessed a greater store of reiatsu, you'd most likely die."

"But my zanpakuto allows me to steal reiatsu from my opponent, giving us an equal amount," Tairos declared.

"And do you think that will make a difference if the enemy can defeat you with one powerful initial blast? Or what if both of your reiatsu is so low that even if you steal some your mastery is not good enough to make use of what little you have?" Ellita sighed. "This leads me to your main weaknesses: against a close-combat based opponent, you'll need a way to block, dodge, or absorb their damage; my grandfather will cover that part of the training. When fighting a long or middle range foe, you will need to have some edge to prevent their kidou, or other reiatsu based attacks, from doing more damage to you than you deal to them. That brings me to the ability I want to teach you: it is referred to as Kodou Geigeki, or the Way of the Counter. There are four forms, one used against each style of Shinigami combat; I am going to teach you form two which is used against reiatsu-based attacks. These methods involve both defense and counter-attacks."

"So what exactly does this second form entail?" Tairos questioned.

"It involves focusing your own reiatsu to negate or defer your enemy's reiatsu. It requires intense focus, concentration, and, of course, a great deal of training." Here Ellita paused. "Are you sure you can be determined enough to attempt this course? It will take you a long time to perfect, and I won't go into more than the basics today. It may take you a few years before you can even effectively use this technique in battle. Are you up to the task?"

"Ready and willing, baby," Tairos cheered, "let's get started."

Ellita smirked. "Don't be fresh with me. You'll need to be serious. Anyway, we'll begin in the following manner. I am going to generate a small ball of reiatsu in my hand. Your objective is to focus on the ball and attempt to shatter it with your reiatsu. Let's begin." Ellita formed a ball of silvery-white reiatsu at the top of her palms which she held outstretched. "If you can even do this by the end of today, I'll be amazed."

_I'll prove to you, Ellita, and everyone else, that I can be called upon to become stronger_, Tairos thought. As he began to focus his own reiatsu towards her ball. _I'll shatter the ball, and also the doubts people have about my own skill. I'll learn the basics, then master this technique in no time. Before I know it, Crowe will be teaching me even better ways of fighting, and then I'll gain balance in my combat styles. I'll show everyone that I'm powerful._

Tairos focused and watched, smiling as he saw the ball twitch slightly. _I may not be a prodigy, but that doesn't mean I can't succeed faster than expectations. I'll finish this part in a few hours, just in time to watch the final round of the tournament, and then I can come back for more training. I won't stop until I am recognized as skilled!_

As that thought rushed through Tairos's mind, the ball blew apart. "I guess I've mastered the basics, time for the next part, eh?"

Ellita shook her head. "I'm stunned you are so adept, but I guess you're just full of surprises. No, that was a fairly weak ball. This time I'm going to make a denser one; it will take at least ten of them, each thicker than the last, before you can move onto the next part. Don't worry, I'm starting to gain some faith in you."

_Well, it's a start,_ Tairos thought. "Well, make another ball! I don't have time to just stand around!" Ellita obliged, and in seconds Tairos was back to focusing, each second reinforcing thoughts of success in his mind. It would not be simple, nor painless, but he would achieve a level of power that Baiten and Jaice would never believe.

Character Profile: Ellita

Age: Unknown (appears 19 in human years)

Height: 165.1 cm (5 feet 5 inches)

Affiliation: Member of the 8th Squad

Rank: 9th Seat

Hobbies: Training, fighting Hollows, reading, studying, making ceramics

Zanpakuto: Unknown, though it is assumed that she knows her shikai.


	16. Impenetrable Guard? Shindou's Struggle

Chapter 16: Impenetrable guard? Shindou's Struggle!

HES: Hey guys! I worked like crazy to finish this chapter, so I hope you like it! I tried a slightly new style which you will see; if you like or don't like it, tell me (it was an experiment after all). Anyway, onto the battle!

"That's him," a young Shinigami male whispered as he watched his brown-haored superior stride by.

"He's handsome," a girl remarked to a group of friends, who giggled briefly before continuing to follow the man with excited eyes.

"I always suspected he'd make it this far," a middle-aged Shinigami man said. "He was a student of mine at the academy for a bit, you know. Aced most exams, even those that did not contribute to his overall standing."

The Shinigami whose name seemed to be on the mind and tongues of everyone near the Grand Arena was none other than Shindou. It had been a grueling few hours, but by now the tournament had entered its semi-final round. He was pleased by the compliments passers-by offered him, whether directly, inadvertently, or secretly, but still his mind remained trained on a single mantra: only the strongest were left now, and the upcoming fight might very well be the hardest of his life.

The Grand Arena was located centrally, surrounded by the ring of numbered arenas used in the preceding rounds of the tournament, and, thanks to its immense size, it was not difficult for Shindou to find. The walls were made of a thicker and more pure form of seki-seki and the pillars supporting the structure were adorned with statues of some of the tournament winners in years past. Shindou paused momentarily to take in their resplendent marble forms, wondering if he too would someday grace the pillars of this magnificent coliseum.

As Shindou marched towards the alabaster-colored gateway, he reached into his kimono for a reddish-brown slip of paper that had the character for "qualified" written on it in bright blue ink. Several seconds passed before the massive doors swung aside and allowed Shindou to enter. He took a deep breath and then was stunned as he saw his opponent.

--

"Are you _ever_ going to wake up?" Baiten roared, shaking the unconcious form of his friend. "It figures, of course. The irony is, you never sleep on a regular basis so when you finally do I can't rouse you out of it!" Baiten let out a moan; he'd been at this for at least an hour. Having suffered injuries that were far less damaging than Jaice's wounds, Baiten had been released from the medical tent an hour earlier. It had taken him awhile, but eventually he found the tent where Jaice was undergoing healing procedures. Several members of the 4th Squad had informed Baiten that his friend was mostly cured, and that he'd need some rest before he could go back to fighting.

"His wounds were very deep," one of the healers had informed Baiten ten minutes earlier. "It's lucky he survived. We had to devote six physicians to him in order to cure the damage in the same time it would take for one healer to cure the injuries of someone who had only suffered minor harm."

_Ugh, how am I going to get him to wake up?_ Baiten pondered, scratching his chin with his right thumb and index finger. _I've already tried yelling, pouring water on his face, kicking him, poking him, punching him...there has to be another way..._ Suddenly, Baiten had a stroke of inspiration.

"Hey Jaice, the semi-final tournament round is starting in about ten minutes! Do you want to wake up and watch? I hear that Shindou is fighting in the first match! It could be a great chance to analyze his fighting skills, or even see him get beaten!" At the mention of the word "Shindou," Jaice sat bolt upright. When Baiten uttered the final word of his sentence, Jaice turned and looked at his compatriot.

"Then why the hell have I been snoozing? Let's get out of here!"

--

"Arashi? Arashi Shinta?" Shindou stuttered as he noticed the familiar face of the man standing across from him in the arena.

"Ah, Shindou, fancy seeing you again. I'd heard that you were transferred to Eastern Region Hollow Extermination," Arashi replied. Arashi flicked his black ponytail over his shoulder before continuing, a gleam of excitement in his mahogany eyes. "It's funny, but they say rivals are always destined to come into conflict until one of the two dies."

"They also say old friends continue to run into each other until their dying days," Shindou responded, continuing to stare at his adversary. Arashi was roughly Shindou's height and his long black hair hung in a tight braid. His kimono was altered to have sleeves that ended halfway between his shoulder and the elbow. His skin tone was significantly paler than Shindou's though there was still a fair degree of color in his complexion.

"Yes, I've missed you," Arashi said. "After I was transferred to the 8th Squad seven years ago, I'd hoped we'd run into each other around Seireitei at least, but time creates the greatest distance, or so they say."

"Yeah, you were a good partner," Shindou answered, nodding. "We had some great times. Perhaps we should share a drink again someday?"

"Yes, that'd be nice, we really need to catch up," Arashi noted. "Sadly, I didn't come here to reminisce or learn of current news, nor did you. We'd best begin; I'd like to enter the finals and claim a desperately needed promotion."

"You might be surprised, maybe you will gain a rank increase if you prove yourself here."

"Hah, I won't purposefully lose to you, even if you are an old friend," Arashi laughed. Both men drew their swords and rushed headlong towards one another.

--

"We're lost, aren't we?" Jaice groaned as he lagged behind Baiten. "You'd figure that even _you_ could find something called the Grand Arena; I hear it's gigantic!"

"Yeah, sorry, I think we took a wrong turn a few streets back," Baiten said, looking left and right as they came to an intersection. "Maybe we should ask for directions?"

"In case you haven't noticed, no one is around! Who are we going to ask, the wind?"

"Well, maybe if you weren't so rude you'd actually listen to me," Baiten shot back, anger rising a bit in his voice; he'd always hated being interrupted, especially when he had something he thought was important to say. "I was going to attempt to search for the location with my reiatsu."

Jaice started to laugh uproariously as Baiten made his suggestion. "You honestly think your kidou is up to that level? Even Tairos isn't that good, and he's the best of all three of us!"

"It's worth a shot, isn't it?"

"Not really, when you consider that I think I see it right over there." A second later, the two were rushing in the direction of Jaice's outstretched finger and the giant pale structure it indicated.

--

Unlike the other arenas of Seireitei, the Grand Arena was built specifically to host public matches. As such the facility was outfitted with several rows of seats and balconies that jutted out from high on the outer walls. A series of staircases within the outer walls of the enclave allowed onlookers access to these seating areas. The height of these enclaves ensured that rarely, if ever, would the viewers be harmed or threatened by the unfolding combat; several guards patrolled in balcony, ready to raise a reiatsu shield in case of a wild kidou blast or an aerial combat.

By the time Shindou and Arashi clashed swords, the majority of these chairs were filled with cheering Shinigami. Some had a favorite competitor from earlier in the tournament, while others merely wanted to view an exciting match. Some were friends or members of the combatants' squads, and hope their associate would achieve victory.

Arashi and Shindou, however, were more focused on one another than the crowd gathering to view their match. The two seemed almost perfectly even in fighting abilities; each slash was parried or dodged with grace, while the occasional kidou attack was avoided or countered with a complementary blast of energy. Shindou threw a roundhouse kick, immediately landing after Arashi dodged the blow to deliver a back kick with his right foot, catching his former partner in the ribs and pushing him several feet back.

"So you got the first hit, eh?" Arashi chuckled. "Maybe I need to start trying, I don't want to accidentally let myself lose to you."

"Ha, you want more? Maybe I should stop going easy on you two!" Shindou said. Both men resheathed their swords, causing confused whispers to arise from the crowd.

"I assume you don't have any new tricks?" Arashi asked.

"I wouldn't say that," Shindou said surreptitiously. "Though, obviously, my shikai hasn't changed. What about you, have you learned anything new these past few years?"

"I've picked up a few skills here and there. It's a shame we already know each other's shikais; it's always fun to surprise your opponent."

"We'd best stop being rude to the spectators, Arashi," Shindou stated. "Let's release our shikais."

"We're going to go all out, no holding back!" Arashi declared.

"I wouldn't expect any less of you!"

"Let's quit talking and get right to it!" Shindou cried out. Both men drew their swords and stood erect as they released their blades. "Shingai, Denkou-deki!" Shindou's weapon elongated and lightning danced and sparked around the shimmering metal.

"Guard, Iradas!" Arashi declared, causing his sword to transform. The audience gasped in shock, confused by the resulting shape of Iradas and unsure of what its abilities would entail.

--

"Excuse us, sorry," Baiten said jovially as he and Jaice moved through the seated rows of spectators. Though most seats were already occupied, the two Shinigami were able to locate several free seats. "Let's reserve an extra one in case Tairos shows up," Baiten suggested; Jaice nodded half-heartedly, for he was too focused on the combat.

"I'm wondering who I actually want to see win," Jaice muttered. "On the one hand, if Shindou wins it means I had a close match with a tough competitor. On the other hand, I'd really like to see that bastard put in his place."

"Either way, you can use this as a chance to analyze his fighting style from afar," Baiten suggested. "Maybe next time you can beat him."

"Yes, I hope so. Now quiet down, it looks like we arrived just in time to see the shikais revealed."

--

Arashi smiled, using a flourish of his left hand to indicate the shikai adorning his right arm. "You may remember Iradas?"

"There is more than one reason you were called the Impenetrable Shield," Shindou remarked. Iradas itself was a large shield with a straight top and slightly curving sides, forming a shape almost akin to a distorted isosceles triangle. The face of the shield was adorned with the image of a bronze gryphon's head while the field was a deep mauve.

"Ah yes, that nickname takes me back," Arashi said, smiling. "The Impenetrable Shield and the Keenest Edge, there was a reason we carried those epithets with pride."

"They weren't the most creative of titles," Shindou joked, "but when you're given them by a Captain, you don't really complain about that sort of thing."

"Really? I thought they suited us well," Arashi remarked. "We were always such a perfect duo; our combo of offense and defense was unbeatable." At this point, Shindou thought back to one of the last times he had ever fought alongside Arashi.

--

_"That's another one down," Shindou commented as the Hollow he had just beheaded writhed in agony before crashing to the ground, sending tufts of dust erupting into the atmosphere. "Need any help over there?"_

_"I'm fine," Arashi noted as he swung his shield into the face of a charging Hollow, shattering the mask into thousands of minuscule shards. "You may want to focus more on your own safety than mine; turn around."_

_Shindou wheeled on his heels and saw a gigantic dragon-like Hollow crashing through the tree cover towards him. He raised his blade, but knew that the force of impact would send him flying. There was too little time to dodge; the beast would merely change its course. Shindou closed his eyes and tried to brace himself, but the Hollow never collided with him. After several seconds, he found the courage to open his eyes to see Arashi in front of him, Iradas pressed against the Hollow's face, holding the creature back. Shindou gripped Denkou-deki more tightly a jumped over Arashi's head, pointing his weapon downward and driving it into the Hollow's neck. Electricity surged through the monster's body as the two Shinigami pulled away, watching their target slowly dissipate as its body turned to nothingness._

_"Thanks," gasped Shindou, turning to Arashi and sheathing his sword which had returned to its sealed state._

_"No problem," Arashi responded, his shield changing back to a katana which he promptly sheathed across his back. "You were the one with the higher kill count today, not me. I should be thanking you."_

_"Yes, but I could've died numerous times if you hadn't defended me. That's why we make such a great team; we are the perfect mix of offense and defense."_

_"That isn't to say that I can't fight, nor that you can't guard, I assume," Arashi said smiling, "but I get your meaning. Anyway, we'd better get back to Soul Society. I heard that Captain Komamura had an important address to certain unseated Shinigami cells, including ours."_

_"Let's be off then," Shindou said, the gate to Seireitei materializing in the air before them. Before its wooden screen could completely slide aside, Shindou turned to Arashi and spoke. "You're a great friend. I just know that we'll become an even better team as the years go on."_

_"Don't get so sappy on me," Arashi moaned. "Come on, we've got someplace to be. I hope this meeting goes fast, I want to spar with you again after it ends."_

_"Ha, think you have a hope of winning?" Shindou joked._

_"Hey, I've one three of our last seven matches, you aren't that far ahead," Arashi responded coyly. "Now let's get a move on." _

_It was later that same day that Arashi and Shindou discovered that they would no longer be serving in the same squad. _

--

"You look a bit shocked, Shindou," Arashi joked, pleased with his own pun. "You haven't said or done anything for the past thirty seconds. It isn't like you to space out, especially in a battle setting."

"I've got a lot on my mind," Shindou remarked calmly, "but I've cleared those distant memories away for now. Our job now is to fight to determine which one of us is superior. Raise your shield, Arashi, and deflect my blows of you can!"

"Pierce my defense with your blade, Shindou," Arashi replied, "that is if you're able!"

Shindou smirked slowly before sliding his sword to the ready position and charging. "You always waited for enemies to attack, Arashi! I guess I'll have to take the initiative as usual!"

--

"Finally, they've started fighting for real!" Jaice yelled. "I was starting to get bored enough to jump into the arena myself. Who is this guy Shindou is fighting anyway?"

"No idea," Baiten said, "but from what they've said, it sounds like the two are old friends."

"Let's hope they're just that; if they're rivals, I may have to kill this Arashi fellow," Jaice took a deep breath before yelling at the top of his lungs. "Do you hear that you bastard? He's got a new rival now! Me, Jaice Gandaime, soon to be the greatest Shinigami warrior of all time!"

_Why oh why did I bring him here?_ Baiten thought, shaking his head. _He always acts this way at public spectacles...especially ones that involve violence. Oh well, at least he's enjoying himself._

--

Sparks flew behind Denkou-deki as it arced through the air, the individual bolts of electricity falling like iridiscent snowflakes onto the plane of Iradas's face. Arashi pushed against Shindou, forcing back the 7th Squad Shinigami who lowered his right arm for a low block, deflecting a cleverly aimed side kick.

Shindou spun backwards, wheeling his sword which was deftly blocked by Arashi once again. Shindou, however, had planned for such an occurrence and aimed a roundhouse kick at Arashi's temple. The 8th Squad member, however, snickered as he gripped Iradas with both hands and pulled sideways; the shield split into two halves, one part still blocking Denkou-deki while the other halted the kick, leaving Shindou in an awkward position. Arashi took advantage of Shindou's present state to headbutt his rival in the chest, sending a startled Shindou onto the ground.

Shindou regained his composure and stood, a smile of both pleasure and annoyance masking his features. "I'd forgotten that Iradas could separate," Shindou stated. "I now remember that you rarely used to use that ability, so it came as a surprise to me that you finally found a more practical application for it."

"Yes, originally when I found that feature of my zanpakuto I thought it was quite useless," Arashi admitted, "but now I see it holds excellent benefits."

"Don't think I haven't forgotten what else your weapon can do," Shindou said. "My supporters in the crowd are probably a bit confused that my zanpakuto's electricity did not surge through your shield and shock you. It'd probably be best to tell that your weapon dissipates the power of strikes on impact, meaning that the shocks are dampened and absorbed."

"At least your recall that, I was a bit offended," Arashi said, faking anger. "At least I can remember your blade's abilities."

"Yes, but mine are a bit more obvious," Shindou noted, pointing to the bolts dancing around Denkou-deki's core. "We'd best get on with our fight, the crowd is probably regretting taking the time to come down here and watch us right about now."

"I agree!" Arashi cried. "This time, I'll take the initiative!" Before he knew it, Shindou saw Arashi within a few feet of him. Shindou raised his sword, but Arashi batted it out of the way with one half of Iradas before combining the two pieces into one and slamming Shindou directly in the face with the shield. Shindou stumbled backwards, blood dripping from his crooked, and obviously broken, nose.

_I never expected that'd he'd become so much better on offense in the past few years,_ Shindou pondered as he dodged another attempted shield strike. The 7th Squad Shinigami swung his katana towards Arashi who was now off balance after his missed hit; though the 8th Squad member attempted to block at the last second, he merely deflected the sword higher, raising its angle of impact in the process and reducing the depth of the resulting wound but not preventing Denkou-deki from biting into Arashi's right shoulder. Arashi twitched violently as the impulse from Shindou's sword flowed through his body and, whether it was a lucky convulsion or a planned withdrawal, he pulled himself away from the sword after five seconds.

"Damn, you still pack quite a punch," Arashi gasped, clutching the bleeding hole in his shoulder. "You missed the joint by only a few inches; I'm lucky I can still move this arm."

"You're more lucky that shock didn't fry your internal organs," Shindou said.

"I know you held back a bit," Arashi replied, "and thanks. If I was an actual enemy, I'd be dead at this moment."

"I don't make killing my friends a policy," Shindou answered, "no matter how badly I want to win this tournament."

"Thanks," Arashi said, turning towards Shindou, "but that blow still took a lot out of me. I'm not sure if it's best to continue fighting."

"This isn't the Arashi I remember. You always were the one telling me to never give up until all possibilities are exhausted." Shindou replied.

"That's very true, but you always told me to know my own limits," Arashi retorted. "Then again, I'd hate to lose this competition by a surrender. Let's make a deal, Shindou: put everything you've got into this next blow. This final strike will decide the winner."

"Fine with me; your strike to my skull didn't exactly leave me feeling keen, either."

The two men narrowed their eyes, staring for a mere second which felt like an eternity to the enraptured audience. Shindou pulled back Denkou-deki, pushing his reiatsu through it and causing a skin of voltage the flow over the cold metal. Arashi raised Iradas with his right hand, freeing his left and pulling it back as if ready to punch. The former partners charged, Shindou thrusting his sword forward as Arashi attempted to force his shield past the blade and slam into Shindou's body. As the two came into close proximity, something unexpected happened: Denkou-deki was blocked by Iradas, but Arashi had conjured a ball of Blue Fire in his left hand which he promptly lobbed at Shindou. With such little distance between them, Shindou was unable to dodge and the kidou hit him full force, searing off some of his clothing and pushing him back. As he was thrown away from Arashi, the 8th Squad member lowered his shield in happiness: that was his mistake, for he only noticed a blast of lightning flying from Denkou-deki's blade at the very last second.

"Your...trump card...Shindou?" Arashi muttered, before collapsing to the ground.

"I rarely use it...it requires...too much...reiatsu," was Shindou's final comment before he too fell face first into the arena floor. Members of the 4th Squad instantly rushed in to provide medical assistance to these two gravely wounded men.

"So who's the winner?" Someone cried from the stands.

"Yeah, who goes onto the finals?" Another shouted.

As more cries of confusion and arguments about the match's outcome erupted through the seating area, Jaice turned to Shindou and smiled. "Either way, Shindou didn't win."

Character Profile: Arashi Shinta

Age: Unknown, though roughly the same age as Shindou (appears 25 in human years)

Height: 180.34cm (5 feet 11 inches)

Affiliation: Member of the 8th Squad, former Member of the 7th Squad

Rank: 4th Seat

Hobbies: Meditating, cooking, tailoring, training

Zanpakuto: Iradas

Shikai: Iradas takes the form of a fairly large shield that, when lifted to the right height, can cover most of Arashi's chest. The shield can split into two halves for blocking attacks from different directions or to serve as two separate battering weapons. Iradas also dissipates the strength and abilities of weapons that it blocks or that strike it, meaning that it is harder to pierce or break than a standard shield. Thus, Iradas is a powerful defensive tool that can also act as a useful offensive weapon in certain situations.


	17. Tough Training, Remarkable Results

Chapter 17: Tough Training, Remarkable Results

"Counter again!" Ellita called out, for what seemed to Tairos, the millionth time. She once again loosed a blast of White Lightning from her fingertips, sending the beam straight towards her student's forehead.

Tairos was so weakened he barely had the energy to curse her name. They had been at this for almost six hours now, and it seemed he was getting nowhere. Half the time he was able to weaken to blast by focusing reiatsu against it, but the other half he either narrowly dodged or took the hit head on, resulting in a body covered by wounds.

"Come on, this is one of the lowest level techniques! If you can't even counter it more than eighty percent of the time, you've got little hope of learning Kodou Geigeki." Ellita sneered as she watched Tairos lose several inches of his hair to her kidou as he whipped sideways before the energy could sear his skin and possibly strike his skull.

Tairos muttered something unintelligible as the beam of reiatsu struck him in the chest and knocked him from his feet, sending him through the field, kicking up clumps of grass and clots of soil.

"What was that you said?" Ellita called haughtily, cupping her hand to her ear in a sarcastic and purposefully insulting motion.

"Fuck...you..." Tairos managed to gasp. "I...don't...care...if...I am...struggling...I...won't...stop..."

Ellita started laughing, "If I don't goad you on, you will eventually give up. I want you to hate me, that way you can strive to make me shut up. But, as you are now, you suck to much to even make me consider letting up even a little bit."

"Bitch..." Tairos rasped, pulling himself into a ready position, wiping congealed blood from his matted hair. "I didn't say stop! Attack me again!"

"Whatever you want," Ellita shrugged, "but if I kill you, don't be mad, ok? Way of Destruction Number Four, White Lightning!" As the energy sped towards Tairos, he closed his eyes and reached deep, probing the recesses of his mind and body for some form of latent energy, some way to awaken the necessary skill.

Tairos screamed as he felt the focused reiatsu slam into his chest, yet, unlike past attacks, this one felt somewhat weaker. He looked down to see a glowing ball of pure silver energy resonating inches from where Ellita's attack had struck him.

"I guess you are learning _something_," Ellita declared, snidely. "It took you long enough to master the bare basics. Maybe now I can move up to a stronger spell."

"Not now...bitch..." Tairos moaned. "I...need...to...rest..." And without another word Tairos collapsed and began to snore, causing Ellita to shake her head.

_Why did Gramps have to stick me with this guy?_

--

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, that was an awesome match!" Baiten said as he and Jaice strode away from the arena where they had just witnessed the semi-final match between Shindou and Arashi. "It's a shame Tairos had to miss it."

"Oh well, his loss," Jaice stated. "It just gives us another thing to gloat about next time we see him. Where the hell is he anyway?"

"I assume he'd be at the medical tent for his assigned arena or if not there he might've gone home," Baiten offered. "We're closer to the former, I say we head there first."

--

"What do you mean dragged off?" Baiten yelled at the 4th Squad nurse, waking several of the patients on the cots scattered around the medical tent.

"Just what I said, _sir_," she replied, the last word venomous. "I would like it if you had the courtesy to keep your voice down my our patients are trying to recover."

"S...sorry," Baiten blurted out, hastily bowing. "I was just shocked."

"Yeah, and why would you just let one of your patients get carried away by some random girl?" Jaice asked.

"I do believe that's none of your business," the nurse replied, her face twisting into a scowl, "but if you must know she is no simple girl; Ellita is a highly valued Shinigami despite her age."

"Fine, well can you tell us where we can find our friend?" Jaice inquired.

"She told me she was taking him to a field on the southern outskirts of Seireitei. Now, if you don't mind could you be on your way? I can't stand around talking with all these injured people about." The nurse finished, turning away.

"Thanks for your help!" Baiten called as he and Jaice rushed out of the tent, his cry inadvertantly waking four additional patients.

--

Ellita shook her head as she turned another page of _The Complete Guide to Kidou_:_ Volume 3_; she had only been a hundred pages into the massive volume when Tairos first lost consciousness but now he had been asleep for two hours and she was nearly halfway done with the monstrous tome. _Maybe I was too hard on him, _she started to think before giggling coyly to herself. _No, he was just too weak. What a shame, I guess I'll be stuck with him for longer than I'd like. _

"Tairos you idiot, wake up!" Ellita turned to see the source of the sound and noticed two Shinigami, one average height with black hair and another slightly taller man with brown hair; it appeared that the second man was the one who shouted, as he was currently shaking Tairos's limp body which was slowly coming to.

"Jaice what the hell, man? Can't you see I'm trying to rest!" Tairos roared as he regained composure, punching the man shaking him. Jaice stumbled backwards, knocking Baiten's back, slamming his head into a nearby tree.

"You bastard!" Baiten roared, aiming a kick at Jaice's back. Jaice jumped to one side, causing the blow meant for him to ram into Tairos's stomach. In seconds the once friendly meeting had devolved into a crude fist-fight, with punches, kicks, and curses flying backwards and forwards as these friends tried to claim vengeance for damages caused seconds before.

"What idiots," Ellita said, turning back to her book after she saw Baiten hip-throw Jaice onto the ground a second before Tairos punched Baiten twice in the jaw. "Acting like such children, I can see why none of them made it too far into the tournament."

"You still don't understand how masculine friendship works, Ellita," a voice caught the female Shinigami off guard. She looked to her left and saw the figure of her grandfather, Crowe, smiling and carrying a rucksack over his shoulder.

Ellita snorted at his comment before offering her own opinion. "Those idiots should spend less time goofing around and more time training. I agree that they all have potential, but they are also all too flawed to make use of it."

"You can know so much from training with one of them briefly and seeing the other for less than a few hours?" Crowe questioned. "Don't you think you're jumping to conclusions?"

"I can sense their reiatsu quite easily and this little brawl has told me more than enough about their fighting styles," Ellita retorted. "Tairos is a bum, Baiten is a weakling, and Jaice is brash as hell."

Crowe chuckled at this comment and walked over to his granddaughter, laying the rucksack down at her feet. "There's more to everyone than first impressions and what lies on the surface. Anyway, I thought I'd bring some food in case you and your trainee were hungry."

"Aren't you supposed to take over from here?" Ellita asked.

"As much as I'd like to, I have some important business to attend. I have a meeting in an hour that I cannot afford to miss. After that I will return and we can switch out."

"Thank heaven," Ellita sighed, "this whole endeavor is driving me insane!"

"You're too uptight, Ellita, you'll never get ahead in the world if you let small things like this get to you," Crowe declared.

_Always like an elder to push 'wisdom' on me_, Ellita thought scornfully. "Anyway, what took you so long?"

"What do you think?" Crowe said, smiling as he produced a miniature bronze-colored sculpture of a Shinigami wielding a katana.

--

_"You're damn good, old man," the younger Shinigami rasped, sweat dripping from his matted furrows of hair. _

_"You're pretty good too," Crowe replied calmly, no worse for wear but having long learned to endure intense pain. "But I'm your senior in both age and ability; you can't win this fight, please give up before I really hurt you."_

_"Screw you, if I win I'm a hero, if I lose I'm a piece of shit, but if I surrender I'm a cowardly piece of shit. I'll take option one!" Without another word, the younger warrior charged forward, his broadsword sweeping across Crowe's chest. The elder Shinigami gritted his teeth and headbutted his opponent before slamming Hiroki into the youth's face, sending the lad spiraling through the air to land face first on the arena floor._

_The crowd gasped as Crowe's blow finished and the younger Shinigami let out a low groan. His entire face was covered in a mask of blood and it appeared that his jaw was fractured by the look of his bone structure. _

_"I'm sorry," whispered Crowe. "I warned you; luckily for you I've got great self-control, otherwise you'd be missing your skull."_

_The referee stepped into the arena carrying the tournament trophy towards Crowe. "Congratulations, Crowe, you are hereby declared the win..."_

_Before the man could finish speaking, the crowd gasped in awe as they saw the youth rise to his feet, copious amounts of blood dripping from his damaged face. "Bas...tard, fight me like a man! No holding...back!" He managed to blurt out._

_"Son, if we continue fighting you may die, and I don't another death on my hands," Crowe replied._

_"Besides, it's against the tournament rules," the referee interdicted. "Killing your opponent is strictly forbidden and if I let you two continue fighting now you will surely leave in a body bag."_

_"Don't patronize me you old pricks!" The youth roared, seeming to draw courage and energy from deep within his heart. "If I fail now, what am I? Secomd-best is the same as second-rate in my book! Isn't it obvious that I'd rather die than have a life riddled with failure? Now come on, gramps, show me some more of your skills!" The boy staggered forward, somehow able to still move despite his damaged body and confused mind. He approached Crowe, sword at the ready. "Ha..."_

_Before the boy could finish uttering the command, the referee jumped in the way and began to chant, causing spiraling tendrils of reiatsu to reach out and engulf the young Shinigami, causing his eyes to close and his body to fall limply to the arena floor. _

_"I'm sorry for the mess," Crowe said, "I never thought I'd have to use such excessive force, but the boy certainly was persistent." _

_"Think nothing of it," the referee whispered. "We've been watching him for some time now. He is...somewhat unstable as you can tell. This will merely go on his file."_

_"And you'd trust me with such confidential information?" Crowe replied, his voice also low._

_"I know who you are, Grey Scar; I know your history and I know your present. I don't my boss would want me to be rude to an old friend of his," the referee answered._

_"Heh, just as I thought. Now anyway, we should stop being so rude, these people are anxious to see me crowned winner."_

--

"Congratulations, grandpa," Ellita said, bowing in an odd show of respect causing Crowe to raise an eyebrow.

"I guess you finally learn some manners when you're reminded of where the genes for your own amazing skills come from," Crowe said, a hint of comedy tenderizing his words. "Excuse me a moment, perhaps it is time for me to intervene and prevent my employee and his friends from killing each other." He laid the trophy on the ground and seemed to disappear momentarily, only to rematerialize in the middle of the brawling trio. As he appeared, Crowe immediately blocked Baiten's fist with his right hand, deflected a kick from Tairos with his left leg, and grabbed Jaice around the throat to prevent him from body slamming the other two.

"B...boss!" Tairos stammered, stepping backwards and bowing several times in short successions. "I'm very sorry, we were just messing around!"

"Yeah, I apologize too," Baiten said, hastily joining Tairos. "Sorry we had to meet like this, Crowe-san, Tairos has told us tons of great things about you!"

"Hey kiss-asses, any help for me?" Jaice moaned as he struggled against Crowe's vice grip.

"Think nothing of it," Crowe replied, letting Jaice go and causing him to hit the ground with a muffled thud. "I'm switching out with Ellita, at least for now. Tairos, you and I have some training to do."

"What about us?" Jaice asked. "We just have to sit around and wait for him to finish? Or are we going to the _privilege_ of joining in?"

"Jaice, we hardly know him! It's rude of us to butt in like that!" Baiten stammered. "I'm very sorry sir..."

Crowe laughed as he walked a circle around the Shinigami. "You're friends certainly are characters, Tairos, exactly like you've told me. And no, I apologize, my training is only suited for one student at a time. If you'd like I can have Ellita work with you two," as he turned to his granddaughter some yards off, he saw her vigorously shake her head 'no'. "Oh well, in that case perhaps you can go visit a friend of mine. Here's is his address," almost miraculously, Crowe produced a small piece of parchment from inside the folds of his right sleeve and handed it to Jaice.

"Thanks," Baiten and Jaice said simultaneously as they started to walk off, Baiten still hastily making apologies and thanks, Jaice continuing to rant about Crowe's rudeness.

"No that they are out of our hair we can begin," Crowe said. "First, I'll need you to show me what Ellita has taught you so far."

"May I ask a question before we start?" Tairos inquired, raising his left hand slightly as if in a mock classroom. "What exactly was that earlier? I mean, how exactly did you get over here so quickly?"

"That, my boy, is shunpo, also called Flash Step," Crowe replied. "I'm sure Ellita mentioned it to you, but I guess this was your first time seeing the move in action."

"If it's not too much trouble, do you think we could start with that instead?" Tairos asked. "My close combat skills are very poor, and I think this would be a good method of escape or a way to gain distance to safely use my kidou."

"Heh, that's funny," Crowe chuckled, "normally Shinigami use shunpo to get _closer_ to their opponents or to set up better angles of attack at close range, though it isn't unheard of to use the method you speak of. I guess we can start with hoho (foot techniques) if you'd like."

"Yes, please," Tairos said.

"Good, then I hope you're prepared, this is worse than anything Ellita taught you and will take quite awhile to get the hang of. First things first, I want you to run 20 miles; come back when you're done." Tairos groaned, but did as he was told. As he passed Ellita he could swear she winked at him...

--

"What a damn asshole!" The youth cursed, pacing across the room for the eightieth time and flinging his hands in the air.

"Which one? The referee or your competitor?" A deep, yet somewhat calm, voice replied.

"Both of them! If I'd just had another shot I would've won and we'd be closer to completing our plan!" The youth yelled back, kicking over a chair in his rage.

"Hey, no reason to go on destroying property, I work hard to maintain this place, you know?" Another voice cried, clearly masculine but having a lighter, slightly feminine ring to the words.

"Screw off, I didn't ask the help for opinions," the youth answered.

"Mind your tongue, you still can't do whatever you want," the deep voice declared. "Today another aspect of our master machinations failed, but luckily I'm always creating contingencies in case our attempts fall through. You're lucky that I even bother to keep you lot around after I have to clean up your messes."

"Sorry, sir!" The two voices answered in unison. "We will not fail you next time. Dispatch us where you will and we shall carry out your orders without hindrance!"

"Magnifico," the owner of the gruff voice declared. "Now I'd like you two to gather the following associates and go on a little errand for me. The next stage begins now; are you both up to the challenge?"

"Yes, sir!" They shouted and left the room hastily leaving the man with the gruff voice alone to contemplate the recent events

_There is always a back up plan so long as I have pieces,_ he thought, surveying the chessboard in front of him. Each piece stood erect and stolid, awaiting his hand, his guidance, his ultimate _strategy. If only my subordinates could be as reliable. If it comes to it, I may have to sacrifice a few pieces in order to complete my goal. Whatever the case I will achieve the ultimate victory I desire. _And with that thought in mind he silently moved his Queen's Rook's Pawn forward, his interest in both games continuing to rise.

HES: Sorry once again for the late update guys! As usual, I am busy as heck! I recently got a new job which is taking most of my time, but I am still going to do my best to update regularly! A new arc is about to begin, one which I've been excited about since I first started planning this fic! In that vein, I should be more inspired and more likely to update! Thanks for staying loyal, my readers, please review if you can; as always I highly value your input!


	18. Touche

Chapter 18: Touché

"You're sure this is the place?" Baiten asked quizzically as he and Jaice sauntered up to the traditional looking house in the 8th Squad's District. The paneling resembled their own quarters with simple screen doors made of pale paper and pine wood. The roof, however, was adorned with yellow tiles instead of the standard azure that was almost identical among buildings in Seireitei.

"You don't trust me?" Jaice asked, sounding a bit hurt, a clear feint.

"No, my sense of direction is pretty bad," Baiten said, rubbing the back of his neck and laughing nervously. "It's just that...I expected a master swordsman to live in something a bit less...mundane."

"The world isn't some romantic story," Jaice replied. "If you haven't learned that by now you'd better start expecting a lot more disappointments in your life.

Baiten sighed as he climbed the short stone steps leading up to the doorway, noting carvings of doves and cherry blossoms on the molding. "I just wish things weren't so damn banal..."

"What do you mean?" Jaice asked, walking up to stand beside his friend.

"I'm not saying I liked the murder mystery but...wasn't life much more fun during that time? So many secrets, so much intrigue!" Baiten exclaimed. "I want an adventure! Lately all we've been doing is the occasional Hollow extermination; it used to be a rush, exciting, terrifying...but now it's just a job. It's like delivering a package: it's just something you do, time and again, varying a bit in the pathway but always with the same destination."

"Damn it, Baiten, don't get so philosophical, especially that way, You'll just end up being bored all the time," Jaice stated. "Anyway, I'm sick of wasting time let's see this supposed 'Prince of Parries.'" Baiten knocked twice on the door and, after getting no answer for two minutes, tried again. Seeing no results, Jaice rapped hard on the door with both fists, before finally succumbing to impatience and kicking the wooden frame.

"Stop that, Jaice! You're going to break it down!" Baiten cried, worry evident in his voice.

"No I won't I've got great self," and at this point the door began to shudder, "control." And with that, the door feel from its frame and slammed into the floor of the house. "Shit."

"You idiot, he's going to kill us for this!" Baiten said, turning to Jaice, who could only point straight ahead.

"Be careful what you wish for, Baiten," Jaice said, indicating four men with drawn swords standing over the corpse of Baiten and Jaice's would-be instructor. "Ready for some excitement?"

The men were clad in standard Shinigami robes but their faces were hidden by white masks with grotesque, yet slightly comical faces, seeming to resemble insane clowns. The masked faces turned to stare at Jaice and Baiten; one of the four men, the tallest, began to shudder slightly.

"Shit, I told you it was too easy! They sent the Assassin Corps, I know it! We're screwed, let's retreat!" The tall one cried, his stance shaky, the tip of his blade resembling an erratic metronome. A figure next to him, shorter and with a fringe of red hair visible behind the mask, nodded in agreement.

"If they only sent two, you know they mean business; it only took one to take down Daria, and she's was..."

"She was a piece of shit compared to the level we're at now," a third interjected, the shortest, piercing yellow eyes visible behind the mask. "If you want to retreat now and face _his_ judgment be my guest, but you've got a better chance of surviving here."

"I agree," the fourth noted, a long blond braid visible behind the mask, the voice androgynous. "We can work together to finish off these intruders; who knows, they might have just stumbled in here at the wrong time, no reason to jump to conclusions."

"And don't forget," the third spoke, "this 'Master Swordsman' here was taken down by the four of us, and not a single one of our group even needed to use his shikai."

"Are you assholes going to stand there talking all day or can I get to slicing you up?" Jaice roared. "I came here to train, only to find the awesome teacher I was promised cut into pieces! I'd like to at least get a bit of training ripping apart some punks!"

"Ooo we've got an eager one," the braided member cooed. "Allow me to oblige!" The masked warrior leaped forward, the clownish face on the mask eternally grinning, wicked curved teeth visible, as the fighter brought its sword around in an arc against Jaice. Meanwhile, the authoritative yellow-eyed member, not to be outdone, was already engaging into a parrying contest with Baiten, each combatant seeming to perfectly counter the other's blows, though now and again the masked man would pierce Baiten's defenses and deliver a niggling wound. The two other members stood briefly, looking nervously at one another, before gathering up their courage and charging into the fray.

Up to this point, Baiten and Jaice had found themselves fairly well matched with their individual adversaries: though the two were taking more wounds than they were dealing, each had yet to sustain a grievous injury. It also seemed, at least to the two of them, that they may be able to win if the enemy revealed an opening. Alas, this mental edge was not to last.

Baiten blocked what seemed like the thousandth blow from his foe's sword, holding his ground despite the onslaught. _He's a bit stronger than me,_ Baiten thought, _but his attacks are clumsy and easy to read. If he'd rush less, I'd be dead right now. Luckily for me, he seems too intent on killing that he's lost all sense of strategy. _Despite the fact that his opponent was masked, Baiten could swear he sensed a smirk in the other man's expression; the warrior stood stock still, his clown mask mirroring the smile obviously plastering his face. Baiten turned to his right just in time to see his enemy's blade slice the air and tear into his right shoulder blade. Baiten stumbled backwards, but his first foe was ready and kicked him twice in the gut, causing the 9th Squad member to double over in pain.

Jaice had faired slightly better in the initial conflict; while Baiten had only inflicted minor scrapes on his enemy, Jaice had successfully slashed off his enemy's left sleeve. _A shame I didn't take his arm off too_, Jaice thought. _That bastard pulled his limb back too fast, but I feel like I nicked it at the very least. _Jaice's suspicions proved true when he say a thin trail a blood drip from his foe's left arm, but neither was able to concentrate on wounds as each had only one thing in mind: kill the man before me.

With renewed vigor, Jaice and his masked opponent lunged forward, their swords extended to stab. As each came within reach of the other, he twisted his body back slightly, allowing the blade to barely miss, taking off only a few scraps of clothing.

"That was quite a showy blow," Jaice's masked foe laughed, "but the show's over for you."

_What a lame ass joke,_ Jaice thought as he felt a sword ram into his lower back, causing pain to shoot up his spine. "Bastards," Jaice rasped, jumping forward so as to physically remove the sword from his body. He turned around to see one of the other masked men, the tallest of the group, standing behind him, blood dripping from his sword.

"See?" The blond member said, turning towards his ally, "You had no reason to worry. These shit bags are barely worth our time."

"If we suck so much," Jaice groaned, "then why the hell did you need your friend to help take me out?"

"I didn't ask him for help," the blond warrior sighed, tossing his braid over his shoulder. "He just made your death come about with less work from me. No need to dirty my blade; I just spent two hours polishing it in anticipation for the fight I just had."

"Don't toy with me you son of a..." but Jaice was unable to finish his sentence as the heavy boot of the tall member slammed into his back, forcing him onto the ground.

"Hey, when Urgeta is speaking don't cut him off, he hates it!" The bass voice of the tall warrior declared.

"He appeared to be done..." Jaice muttered.

"I was taking a dramatic pause you uncultured rubbish heap," the blond one, now identified as Urgeta, declared. "And what did boss say about using our names you idiot? We weren't supposed to reveal ANYTHING with this operation!"

"Sorry," the tall one replied, his voice dutiful. "Don't worry, he'll be dead soon and then it won't matter about our names."

"An excellent point," Urgeta replied, clapping both hands together while retaining a grip on his zanpakuto. "Now, let's take our time! I want to enjoy finishing him off; that last fight was much too short." While the two had entered their exchange, Jaice had take the time to wiggle sideways, allowing the tall one's foot to remain on his back to give the illusion of capture, when in reality Jaice was just waiting for the opportune moment to spring free.

"Let's start by cutting of his limbs, that should prevent any possible problems," the tall one declared, maniacal laughter erupting from his massive throat.

"I like the way you think," Urgeta answered, "you first." The massive warrior raised his sword, the weapon above Jaice right arm which still clutched the handle of his weapon. As the enemy's zanpakuto cleaved downwards, Jaice saw his moment to act; he rolled sideways, causing his foe to lose balance as his foot slipped and his weapon rammed worthlessly into the wooden floor, becoming embedded in the planks. Jaice raised his weapon and swung it at his tall foe, crying out familiar words that caused Baiten and his opponents to freeze in their places as well:

"Bleed, Sangren!"

The action seemed to occur in a flash, and the next time the tall warrior looked down he saw a sword coated in acid inches from his face. He shuddered, realizing he'd surely be dead if the weapon hadn't miraculously stopped. He looked to see the weapon of the second member stopping the attack, the metal slowly beginning to corrode as Sangren's acid ran down its length.

"Nice move, Jaice!" Baiten called out. "You relieved me!"

"Don't leave me hanging!" Jaice yelled back. "You ready to try out our combo?"

"I guess it's finally time to put all that practice to good use," Baiten said, regaining his composure after his injuries and rushing to stand aside Jaice, dodging several sword strokes as he moved from one side of the room to the other. The two stood together, surrounded by their four foes. The clown masks grinned wickedly, anticipating the prey before them. Jaice and Baiten looked at one another and prepared for the worst.

"If we die now, I want you to know that of all the people I hate in this world, I hate you a lot less," Jaice said.

"How comforting," Baiten sighed, "and thoughtful. All we can do is fight to the very last!"

Together, the two friends and long-time Cell mates opened their mouths and let their words fly, the sounds seeming to crash around them like boulders from a trebuchet. "Fang combo!"

"Judge, Justare!" Baiten declared, his zanpakuto transforming into its shikai, rays of light radiating from the blade. The men's masks, though covering the majority of their faces, had wide eye holes, and each cried out as he was temporarily blinded. _We're inside a building, there isn't much light here,_ Baiten thought. _They won't be out for more than a minute or so, Jaice and I had better work quickly._ The two stood back to back and held their swords at 90 degree angles to the right of their bodies and parallel with the floor. Each one grabbed the other's left arm and they spun rapidly for several seconds, slashing the nearest foes, before releasing their grips, sending each Shinigami plunging with great momentum into his foes.

The yellow eyed member cringed as he felt gashes rent in his chest. _These bastards have some skills, but it's mostly reliant on luck and trickery. If we can draw them into prolonged combat, they've got no chance, especially if even one of us releases his shikai. _Though he felt the occasional strike, he came to realize that they came rather infrequently. When he finally regained his vision a few seconds later, his enemies were gone and he saw the red-headed member on the ground, blood pouring from the multitude of wounds he had suffered.

"Find those bastards, they can't have gone far. If word of our activities gets out the boss will be angry, not to mention our plan will be delayed even further," the yellow-eyed member roared.

"What about Jax?" The tall member asked, indicating their wounded friend.

"Don't you have eyes?" Urgeta groaned. "He's dead. His body is covered with deep wounds and several of them have been worsened by acid. Judging from the strikes, I'd say he's had at least one of his lungs punctured. We don't have time to heal him, we have to find those bastards." Grudgingly, the tall member rose and rushed after his colleagues as they left the building.

--

"You don't need to apologize," Jaice said, his teeth gritted. "I like a good fight as much as the next guy but I realize it isn't worth it if you will just die miserably."

"I know," Baiten replied, "I just hated to have to pull you out so suddenly." The event being discussed occurred shortly after Jaice and Baiten's combo began. The two realized their efforts were best spent taking down the weakest looking member, one who would most likely not be able to survive their brief onslaught, and so Jax, the quietest and least active one, seemed the best target. After cutting his up and leaving several wounds to slow the others down, the two retreated, Baiten noting that there was little chance Justare's blinding ability would last much longer. The two raced out of the building and, unfamiliar with the area, ran in an arbitrary direction, hoping they would lose their pursuers or, better yet, find some way to defeat them.

"I haven't seen anyone in this area," Jaice muttered, "the 8th Squad must be out doing drills. Even so, I wonder why there aren't any guards around."

"Those assassins sure picked a good time to attack," Baiten said. "If we hadn't been there, they probably would have escaped without anyone noticing and it would just become another mysterious murder case. I wonder if this one is connected to the last string of assassinations?"

"It's possible, but let's not jump to conclusions," Jaice panted. "Let's quit talking and focus our energy on getting the hell away from those murderers."

As the two Shinigami rounded a corner, they were met with a most unpleasant sight: standing before them were three of the four enemies they had just rushed away from.

"Well, well, well," Urgeta said, clapping his hands sarcastically. "Quite the vanishing act you've got there."

"Can the shit and let's kill them," the yellow-eyed warrior said. "We've already let them live for too long." He advanced and drew his katana. "As we discussed: we two will handle the black haired guy," he indicted himself and the tall member using his pointer finger, "and you take care of the brown haired warrior," he finished by pointing to Urgeta.

"What fun, I can't wait to have a one-on-one match with this guy!" Urgeta said gleefully as he drew his zanpakuto.

"You can't just choose how to fight us," Jaice said. "We'll work as a team; Baiten's no good when he's outnumbered."

"No, we're in control, we will not let you go," the tall member said as he raced forward with lightning speed, grabbed Baiten around the waist, and carried him off with the yellow-eyed fighter at his side.

"Fuck! No!" Jaice roared, rushing at Urgeta. "I'll make this quick so I can help my friend!"

"Oh don't worry," Urgeta said calmly, easily sidestepping the blow. "My allies will make it a fair fight. Well, fair in a manner of speaking. Anyway, you'd better worry about yourself first anyway."

"Fine then, let's hurry this up! Bleed, Sangren!" Acid coated Jaice's machete as he entered a ready position. Urgeta smiled.

"What a wondrous shikai!" Urgeta cheered, raising his hands comically above his head, his weapon still in his right hand. "I want to make this interesting, so how about I show you mine?" Urgeta lowered his hands and gripped his sword tightly. "Watch closely: Sweep, Balaive!"

Horrid, yet amused, laughter erupted from the area as the two Shinigami readied for combat.

--

Baiten grunted as the tall Shinigami threw him to the ground. Baiten pushed himself up, spitting out dirt and blood which congealed in a disgusting pool at the yellow-eyed Shinigami's feet.

"Why not just kill me quickly? You obviously would have no trouble," Baiten said, malice in his voice.

"Where's the fun in using dynamite to kill a rat?" The yellow-eyed Shinigami said. "You and I both know you cannot win against both of us, especially in your current condition. This will instead be the perfect chance for my associate and I to practice allied combat which you and your friend demonstrated _so exceptionally_ earlier."

"Then so be it, I'll take at least one of you with me," Baiten declared, drawing his zanpakuto while watching his foes do the same. As the warriors readied for their conflict, a cold wind began to blow, sending dust clouds spiraling through the air in cinnabar wisps. Baiten realized he was in an alley: there was no escape, but at least he could use the dead end to protect his back from attack. His foes edged forward, slowly but surely gaining upon the cornered warrior, their speed increasing with each new step taken. In seconds, they would be upon him. Despite his earlier pronouncement, Baiten doubted he'd survive their attack. They had seen his shikai's ability and so it would not work as well as it had before. Baiten gripped his weapon tighter and thought back over the course of his life: he hadn't been perfect, but he'd done his best to help others. And, even if he were to die now, his friends would surely avenge him: Jaice would not lose and Tairos, with new abilities mastered, would crush these rogues. As soon as Baiten's reminiscing had concluded, his opponent's were within striking range. There was nothing he could do but raise his sword to block the oncoming blows.

They never connected. Baiten looked to see a figure standing in front of him, a longsword in one hand blocking both strokes.

"Nice of you to have a party and not invite me," the figure said. "I'm a bit insulted. Don't worry, I'll help you clean up this mess."

"Who the hell are you?" The tall member asked, pushing with all his might against this behemoth who, though not overly tall, was fairly muscular.

"The name's Shindou, it's best to know the name of the man who's about to kill you."

HES: Well everyone, this week's chapter, as promised! As I said, I plan to try to update one to two times a week every week for the rest of the summer; there's a possibility of another chapter release this weekend, but no promises (though I will do my best to finish the chapter). I hope you all liked this chapter, please review, as always I highly value reader input!


	19. Thunderbolts and Lightning

Chapter 19: Thunderbolts and Lightning 

Baiten had once heard that everyone gets one big miracle in their life granted to them by an unknown power (perhaps what humans referred to as 'God'). If that were true, Shindou's arrival was truly God's gift to Baiten; there was no other explanation for the amount of luck contained with this single incident. Baiten still bled from the wounds his attackers had inflicted on him minutes earlier, and now, as he crouched in the desolate alleyway, pain surged through his body; adrenaline must have kept him moving up until this point, but now tendrils of suffering coursed through Baiten's body.

"Two against one hardly seems fair, especially considering that your target was in such lousy shape," Shindou taunted the attackers, his voice full of confidence and resonating a deep-seated power. "But don't worry, even with my friend out of commission for the time being, I'm more than enough to defeat you two. I'll give you one chance: turn yourselves in peacefully and I can promise that you will be a given a fair trial."

"Bullshit," the yellow-eyed fighter spat, "we'll drop our weapons and then you'll slice our heads off. I'm not so stupid as to not know how murderers are treated in Soul Society." As he spoke, he and his tall accomplice pushed their blades with increased strength against Shindou's katana. Yet, for all their effort, Shindou held firm, continuing to block their blades and skidding back only a few inches as he managed, for the most part, to hold his ground.

"Don't say I never gave you the option to avoid immediate suffering," Shindou noted, his eyes lighting up as he released his shikai. "Shingai, Denkou-deki!" Electricity began to surge through Shindou's weapon, at first only a small chain of sparks but soon transforming into a mighty current. Caught off guard, Shindou's foes had no time to pull their blades back as electricity shot through their bodies. The yellow-eyed member dropped onto his back, but the tall member stumbled backwards, injured, but still standing.

"I guess things are fair now," the tall warrior said, his voice malicious. "Let's fight like men."

"Ha, something like that can't take me down for long!" A voice cried and, suddenly, the yellow-eyed member was rushing at Shindou, the tall member beside him. Shindou jumped back, causing their strikes to fall short before slamming Denkou-deki into the ground and, grabbing the yellow-eyed fighter's collar with his left and the tall warrior's collar with his right, slammed their heads together before pulling his sword out of the ground and ramming it through the tall member's sword hand, causing this combatant to drop his zanpakuto and cry out in pain.

_Those two must be special to be able to stand, let alone survive, after direct contact from my zanpakuto release,_ Shindou thought. _In general, only Shinigami with reiatsu equal to or above fifth-seat level are able to do that; these two must be more powerful than they seem. _As these thoughts crossed through Shindou's mind, he ripped his sword from his enemy's hand and raised it to block a clumsy strike from the yellow-eyed warrior; this time, after the blades connected, Shindou's opponent jerked around for several seconds before collapsing in a heap on the ground. _Even if he's strong, no one is invincible; that should put him out, at least for awhile._

"You and your damn tricks!" The tall member roared, standing his ground. "I may not be smartest member of our Organization, but I still know how to analyze enemy fighting styles." _It will be very annoying to fight him without being able to block,_ the tall member thought. _When you consider my size, dodging is much more difficult and will leave me more open to his attacks. What to do...?_

"Thanks Shindou," Baiten said, standing; he had been silent before, in awe of the 7th Squad Shinigami's prowess with a blade and his skill at defeating multiple opponents. _Perhaps after all this is over I can ask Shindou to help train me,_ Baiten thought. _Jaice wouldn't be happy...but then again I've got to make my own decisions if I want to become stronger._

"Thank me after I've dealt with him," Shindou replied, noting his vertically inclined adversary. The 4th Seat narrowed his eyes as he watched his enemy entering a ready stance, his sword at a forty-five degree angle with the ground, the weapon pointing away from his body. Shindou, having trained in blades almost all his life, took a counter defensive stance with his sword held at a forty-five degree angle to the ground but resting in front of his body, only a few inches from touching his robes at the closest points. It seemed to Baiten as if the two had reached an impasse: the masked man did not attack because he still feared Shindou's skills while Shindou knew little of the masked man's fighting style and realized he had already used up some of his standard tricks.

One minute passed...then two...then five...then ten, and yet still neither of the combatants had done more than shift his stance slightly. The dust rose is curls, kicked up by the light wind, adding a gritty quality to the air of the oncoming conflict. The soft sound of birdsong could be heard from somewhere nearby, perhaps less than a hundred feet off and then, without warning, the silence was slaughtered. Like an arrow from a composite bow the masked man lunged at Shindou, sword aiming for his enemy's chest. Shindou raised his own weapon to guard while subsequently sidestepping to ensure the blow missed. The masked warrior pulled his sword back at the last second, avoiding Shindou's strong block which, instead of connecting with a solid object, cut only the air and went wide. A startled expression crossed Shindou's face as he attempted to turn his sword and bring it back to deflect the second blow, but his first stroke had too much inertia and he could only grunt as the disguised fighter rent a gash in his chest, an upward stroke going from directly below his right rib and continuing to his left shoulder.

Shindou pulled back in time to dodge a third blow, a horizontal assault that would have claimed his head had he not moved. This time, it was his opponent who was confused, as he tried to bring his sword back for another blow only to see it buried in the alley wall. Shindou smiled and jumped in the air, extending his right leg to kick his foe directly in the jaw. Blood and broken teeth flew from beneath the mask as a crack appeared on the disguise's surface.

"Shit," the masked assailant cursed as he clutched vainly at his mask with both hands, attempting to hold it together. _If they see my face I'm screwed._

Shindou took advantage of his foe's awkward positioning and lack of a weapon to slash at his enemy's stomach. The fighter stepped back as the attack was about to land, but Shindou was still able to hew a shallow gash near his enemy's solar plexus.

"You're finished, convict," Shindou declared as he rushed beside his foe, standing at a right angle to his foe's left side. "You have no weapon and you can't hope to defeat me without showing your face. Either you turn yourself in now or I kill you." To show his intentions, Shindou raised Denkou-deki to the man's neck. Electricity still crackled around the blade, loose sparks singeing the man's skin now and then.

"Fine then, I've no choice," the man conceded, still holding onto his broken mask. "I'll come quietly."

"Good then," Shindou said, a smile of satisfaction on his face. "Way of Binding...

"Shindou, no!" Baiten yelled as his ally began the kidou, but it was already too late. Shindou fell to the ground, his legs swept out from under him by the yellow-eyed man who had somehow regained consciousness in the past several seconds. Baiten watched as the tall man shifted his hands so that his left could sufficiently support the mask while he gripped his zanpakuto's handle with his right and pushed off the wall with his right foot, freeing the weapon.

_He'll be killed! _Baiten thought as he tried to gather the energy to rise. _I need to do something!_

Shindou, however, had handled the situation. As he fell, the 7th Squad member drove Denkou-deki into the ground to prop himself up. Using his sword as a fulcrum, Shindou spun, once again kicking the tall man and sending him spiraling downward. The yellow-eyed man, however, was readying his zanpakuto for an attack on Shindou's exposed back but before he could swing the weapon he felt something slam into his lower back. He turned to see Baiten, on his knees, right hand extended with smoke coming from the finger tips.

"You really shouldn't count me out, Shindou," Baiten said, a sense of difficulty in his voice. "I may be badly injured, but I can still help you win this."

"Bastard," the yellow-eyed man said as he looked at Baiten, forcing himself to stand despite the concentrated reiatsu that had just collided with his body. "Come, let's withdraw for now, we're in no condition to continue this. The Master will only get angrier if another one of us dies."

"Fuck you," the tall fighter said as he tried to push himself up. "We can kill them, I know it!"

"Do you honestly want to risk releasing our zanpakutos?" The former inquired. "That's more information we risk giving away."

"Who the hell cares? We've been under wraps!" The latter answered, annoyance hanging on ever syllable.

"That doesn't make tracking us impossible, only difficult," the first answered, yellow-eyes narrowing beneath the mask. "Besides, I'm in charge. Follow my orders or you will be punished later."

"Go running home if you're scared," the second said. "I'll finish these two off and take the glory myself."

"It's not cowardice, merely tactics. It will be hard to explain to the Master why you made such a choice and, in the long run, it will only make things harder. Before I go, you may want this," the yellow- eyed member tossed a new mask to his colleague who put it on rapidly enough to as to only reveal one of his blue eyes. "Always carry a spare." And with that, the yellow-eyed warrior vanished in a puff of smoke.

_Shunpo? No, couldn't be, he would've used that in our fight,_ Shindou thought. _It must have been some sort of teleportation-based kidou. Regardless, I'd better finish this guy off or, better yet, weaken him enough so that we can ask him a few questions._

"My _friend_ may have been a cop-out, but I'm going one-hundred percent from here on," the tall fighter laughed, somehow managing to stand; judging by the wisps of smoke exiting his wounds, Shindou and Baiten assumed he had been healing himself during the prior conversation. He readied himself, pointing the tip of his zanpakuto at the ground behind him as he held the weapon down at his side. "Scorch, Feusi!" As the declaration ended, the masked man's katana shifted forms: the weapon changed into a single edged, curved sword. Four holes appeared along the blade's length: three were circles but the opening closest to the hilt resembled a crude flame. Heat seemed to radiate from the weapon as small sparks began a somber dance around the tsuba.

"I'm glad I got an opponent with an element-based zanpakuto," the masked warrior said, his voice indicating that behind his guise he may have been grinning. "You're thunder, and I'm fire. Both our weapons use sparks and release energy in the form of heat. It's just like us, we're not so different." He paused, seeing the expression of disgust on Shindou's face, before continuing. "We both want to defeat the man in front of us because we both have a mission we hope to achieve. The purpose of that mission is not what matters, it's how we get there that counts."

"I disagree," Shindou said. "The end results are what truly counts, regardless of the means used to reach them. You're a murderer and I'm a representative of order and justice. Yes, our means our the same, but our ends our totally different. I do not know exactly who you are or what you've been planning, but at least part of it is going to end now."

"In any case, only one of us is going to walk out of here alive," the rogue stated bluntly, running his finger along the length of his sword. "And by the way, once you're dead, your little friend is next."

"Since you plan to kill me, it's only fair that I fight alongside my companion," Baiten said, struggling to stand.

"No! Don't interfere," Shindou exclaimed gruffly, swinging his right arm behind him with his hand live and splayed outwards. His eyes narrowed as he continued: "This is my fight. If I fall, I leave it to you to finish this bastard off." _This shouldn't have taken this long,_ Shindou cursed in his mind. _I should have brought him down long before it ever had to come to this. Either I'm getting sloppy or these men are not your average Shinigami._

Shindou advanced cautiously towards his enemy, shifting his sword nervously between his two hands, unsure what to expect from his rival's zanpakuto. Shindou did not have long to wait, however, as his foe slammed his blade point-first into the ground.

"Scorch!" The disguised fighter declared before Shindou came within striking distance. The 7th Squad Shinigami was barely able to react as a jet of flame erupted from below his feet, lighting his clothes on fire and burning his skin. Shindou jumped back so as not to stay too long in the blaze, but was forced to drop to the ground and roll to stifle the flames.

Shindou soon realized that rolling was to his advantage, as he continued to narrowly avoid the tongues of fire licking at his body. Every second a new hole seemed to erupt from the earth and belch out a gout of heat or several small fireballs. Seeing his opponent's unorthodox, yet effective, dodging tactics, the masked warrior rushed forward, fire dancing around his shimmering sword as he charged at the prostrate form of Shindou. As the tall man swung his weapon at his grounded foe, Shindou swept his feet across the man's legs and pulled him down to his own lower level, an ironic mimic of the yellow-eyed warrior's earlier assault on Shindou.

Surprised by the attack, the man was unable to stop Shindou from standing, reversing the battle's perspective. Shindou stepped back to ensure his opponent did not attempt the same offensive maneuver he had just utilized while also giving himself a moment to assess the situation. That was Shindou's fatal flaw.

As Shindou stood, raising his weapon to strike the killing blow, a jet of fire erupted from beside him, catching his hair on fire and causing him immense pain. Shindou stumbled backwards, Baiten's worried cries echoing in his ears, as he slapped wildly at his scalp in an attempt to smother the flames.

Baiten, who had watched the event unfold, was astonished by the ingenuity of this opponent. Earlier in the battle, the masked combatant had slashed at Shindou, only to miss and have his katana become embedded in the alley's wall. Now, that enemy had used the same hole as a point through which his fire could escape. Shindou had conveniently stepped backwards to stand beside this opening while his opponent had subtly stuck the point of his weapon into the paving stones beneath their feet. Now, Baiten looked on in horror as Shindou's head was ablaze. Already, he saw skin blackening and heard Shindou's screaming in agony.

_I've got to save him!_

_No, this is his fight, he doesn't want me to interfere!_

_If I don't do something, he's going to die!_

_He told you not to get involved until that happens!_

_I can't just watch him die so horribly!_

_What's worse: death in battle or living with the knowledge that you couldn't save yourself?_

These two conflict voices echoed in Baiten's head as he watched the entire scene seem to slow down. Shindou continued to attempt to beat out the flames, sword still in hand, while his enemy slowly pushed himself to his feet and rushed at the 4th Seat, flaming shikai striking towards Shindou's throat.

"I'm shocked that someone so strong would die so easily!" The tall warrior laughed, his clown mask looking evermore wicked with the flames leaping about his body and the smaller flares still smoldering in the holes his previous onslaught had created. He truly appeared like a demon, his entire form accentuated by the vivid light of hideous tongues of fire, the shimmering orange, vibrant crimson, and igneous yellow waltzing about his blade and forming a dire path around his feet as he advanced on his adversary.

"Burn in hell, you bastard!" Shindou growled, gripping Denkou-deki tightly stabbing forward. In the same instant, the two blades rushed passed one another and through the respective chests of the two fighters. Baiten watched the horrific scene as the tall Shinigami shuddered and spasmed wildly as electricity coursed through his nerves while Shindou screamed as fire entered the hole in his chest. Sheathing his own weapon, Baiten rushed forward and grabbed Shindou's arm, pulling him back and off his enemy's sword. Shindou's sword grip was vice-like, and thus Baiten's action caused Denkou-deki to exit the chest of Shindou's nemesis.

Shindou's opponent crumbled as Baiten pulled his friend away from the flaming strike. Seeing the fire on his comrade's chest, Baiten removed the outer layers of his kimono and threw them onto the fire, acting as a deterrent and halting the flames.

It was at this point Baiten perceived the extent of Shindou's wounds: most of his hair had been burnt off and a good deal of the skin on his face was blackened. Baiten assumed he would see similar signs if he removed Shindou's clothing, but thought against this, at least for the moment, for fear of the fire gaining new fuel in the presence of oxygen.

A deep stead rage and hatred flowed through Baiten's veins, a malice welling up in his heart that he had never felt before. He had suffered terrible wounds in his own fight, but nothing to the extent of what Shindou had just experienced. He turned towards the downed form of the enemy and walked over to his body, noticing that the chest rose and fell sporadically.

"You're a damn lucky one that Shindou's attack didn't fry all your organs, but I'm sure a blade through the skull will end anything you've got left." Baiten muttered.

"Then...kill...me...already...asshole," the fallen foe mocked, his voice weak and hoarse. "But...first...worry...about...him..." though the defeated man was not laughing, his chest shook awkwardly denoting that he would guffaw had he been in better shape. Baiten cursed as he noticed the man's sword in the ground and, upon turning, saw another horrific site.

Shindou's body was surrounded by a half-sphere of flames that danced around his body and, before Baiten could react effectively, the fire raced towards Shindou's body, engulfing it in a dire inferno. Baiten abandoned his opponent and charged towards Shindou, jumping through the fire, tackling his friend's body to push it out of the blaze. Baiten's clothes now smoldered, but a quick few seconds of rolling and the fire had died down, allowing him to stifle the flames on Shindou's body with the second layer of his kimono, leaving his bare chest exposed.

After ensuring that his friend was free of fire, Baiten turned his attention back towards his enemy to see that he had somehow managed to stand and was running out of the alley. Baiten chased after him, turning right, following the trail of the murderous assailant.

"Don't bother with me!" The man called back to Baiten. "You've got a tough choice to make: chase me down and kill me or save your friend's life!"

_As much as I want to kill that pyschopath, he's right_, Baiten noted, turning around grudgingly. _The nearest medical center is in the opposite direction, and every second I waste sends Shindou closer to death. Also, I'm not even sure if I can defeat this guy: I'm still not sure how he was able to take so much punishment and still run like that._

Baiten returned to the alleyway and hefted Shindou onto his shoulders; his ward was heavy, but Baiten forced himself to go on, moving as quickly as he could towards the 4th Squad's sector. _Please Shindou, hold on for just a little longer,_ Baiten thought. _If you die, your sacrifice surely was in vain._

HES: And so, another chapter comes to a close! Sorry that I didn't update as early as I originally planned (or would've liked) but a few things came up. I will do my best to update quickly this week! This chapter went through quite a few changes in my head as I was planning and writing it. Please review, I highly value all reader input!

P.S. I know I made the villain quite powerful and resilient, but just bear with me, all will be explained and justified in the coming chapters (plus, if he was weak, there wouldn't be much true conflict, would there?).


	20. A Clean Sweep: Jaice's Ordeal!

Chapter 20: A Clean Sweep: Jaice's Ordeal!

"Are you serious?" Jaice's laughter continued, echoing through the streets where he stood. "I can't believe it!" The 9th Squad Shinigami's breath was short from his spurts of cachinnation.

"Oh come on, it isn't _that_ funny!" Urgeta moaned before his voice took on a more serious atmosphere. "And it will be less so when I kill you."

"But...seriously? Oh come on!" Jaice's merriment continued. "What kind of zanpakuto is _that_?"

Urgeta sighed as he looked at his zanpakuto and thought back to several minutes ago when he had released his shikai.

--

_"Fuck! No!" Jaice roared, rushing at Urgeta. "I'll make this quick so I can help my friend!"_

_"Oh don't worry," Urgeta said calmly, easily sidestepping the blow. "My allies will make it a fair fight. Well, fair in a manner of speaking. Anyway, you'd better worry about yourself first anyway."_

_"Fine then, let's hurry this up! Bleed, Sangren!" Acid coated Jaice's machete as he entered a ready position. Urgeta smiled._

_"What a wondrous shikai!" Urgeta cheered, raising his hands comically above his head, his weapon still in his right hand. "I want to make this interesting, so how about I show you mine?" Urgeta lowered his hands and gripped his sword tightly. "Watch closely: Sweep, Balaive!"_

_Horrid, yet amused, laughter erupted from the area as the two Shinigami readied for combat._

_Jaice continued his laughter as he saw Urgeta's weapon morph from a traditional katana into a simple corn broom. The handle was about the length of a quarterstaff while the bristles were in fair condition, all pointing in the same direction with none splitting off, implying that Urgeta kept his shikai in excellent shape (or perhaps suggesting that he did not use it very much, Jaice was unsure). _

--

Urgeta looked forward as he snapped out of his momentary flashback. "Get a hold of yourself and fight me!"

"S...s...sorry," Jaice stammered, barely able to contain his joviality. "It's...just...so...ahahaha!" Jaice clutched his gut, his sides shaking as he continued to roar with amusement.

Urgeta gritted his teeth angrily and swung his broom, the bristles sweeping across the ground. Initially, nothing seemed to happen, but Urgeta sped his swing up and soon a strong wind blew towards Jaice, slamming him backwards, head over heels, into one of the stone walls lining the street.

Jaice gasped as the gale hit him. His world began to spin; grounds, walls, and sky melded into a single swirling entity of color and confusion. Suddenly, everything paused as he impacted with the rough structure behind him. Pain shot through his spine as he slid down the wall, his body coming to rest in a sitting position with Sangren still in his hands.

"That was fun, I want to try that again," Jaice said, his voice dark with hatred and sarcasm. "I guess it's my turn to show off!" Jaice rushed forward, Sagren at the ready, his sights set on Urgeta's hideous mask.

"Oh no, that won't do," Urgeta declared dryly, causally swinging his broom and pushing his foe back. This time, the 9th Squad Shinigami was ready and took a strong stance, retaining his balance and only losing a few feet to his opponent, his sandals creating a slight scratching sound as they scraped across the pavement. _He appears to be mostly or entirely close-combat based,_ Urgeta thought. _If I can just keep pummeling him at range he will eventually lose and I will exit this battle with no damage. _

"Hey asshole, stop spacing out and pay attention, this is no fun if you just stand there!" Jaice roared as he once again charged at Urgeta. The latter shook his head and swung Balaive yet again, but this time Jaice changed the course of his advance, moving to the right and taking less of a buffeting from the miniature hurricane, pushing him back only a foot or so. _At this rate, I'll reach him soon enough. These little gusts aren't doing anything now that I've started holding my ground. And, once I get in range, there's no way some shitty broom will stand up to my machete. _

"You're quite persistent, aren't you," Urgeta declared coyly. "How about a toast to this contest between men?" Showman-like, Urgeta reached inside his kimono and produced a medium-sized bottle made of green glass with the character for 'Sake' on the outside.

"Stop playing around you piece of shit and fight me!" Jaice growled, rushing forward only to be slowed by Urgeta's wind.

"Tsk tsk, at least let me have a sip," Urgeta said, feigning anger. He raised the bottom of his mask, pressed the bottle to his lips and took several quick gulps, all the while watching as Jaice rushed headlong at him. Urgeta sighed and dropped the bottle, allowing the container to shatter into hundreds of smaller shards which clinked softly as they hit the ground.

"You shouldn't be so relaxed, you left yourself wide open!" Jaice declared as he came within two feet of Urgeta. He swung his sword directly at the man's mask, but Urgeta was prepared and took a single step backwards before bringing his broom across his body. Jaice winced in pain and stumbled backwards, pushed by both the wind and his confused feet. He looked down to see blood running from dozens of cuts across his chest, pieces of glass embedded in his skin. He picked out several and looked at his adversary.

Urgeta, meanwhile, cursed and threw his mask to the ground. Though Jaice's attack had failed, some of Sangren's acid had successfully moved towards Urgeta's face; had his face not been covered. Urgeta would surely have been hit with the corrosive liquid. Jaice took a moment to study Urgeta's face: he was a fairly handsome man, his soft yet attractive features complemented by his braid of blond hair. His appearance seemed of paramount importance to Urgeta, as he cursed about, "the risk of his beautiful face being damaged."

"I once met a guy like you from the 11th Squad," Jaice stated, removing more glass from his skin as he readied himself for the next round of combat. "He was a total narcissist and an asshole, just like you. I hate people like that. Thanks for giving me another reason to justify what I'm about to do to you!" This time, Urgeta was not ready for what was coming and grunted as Jaice's shoulder collided with his chest. The formerly disguised fighter's eyes went wide as Jaice grabbed him around the waist and flipped over backwards, slamming the man's head into the ground.

Urgeta was unprepared for the pile driver, and thus he was unable to dodge Jaice's kick. Urgeta sprawled onto his front, but regained enough of his composure to roll sideways and avoid a blow from Sangren. As the machete hit the stone, however, some acid splashed off the blade and landed on Urgeta's arm, burning through the top layers of skin and causing him to scream in pain.

Jaice smiled as he watched Urgeta stand before charging again. This time, however, Urgeta was better able to react and swung Balaive, kicking up more shards of glass which, for the most part, Jaice ignored as he focused on holding his ground.

"This is fun, Urgeta," Jaice said. "Yeah, I heard your friends call out your name earlier," he continued, reacting to the puzzled look on his opponent's face. One question: why bother to wear the mask since I'm seeing your face right now?"

"It doesn't matter if a dead man knows what I look like!" Urgeta yelled as he brought his broom around yet again. This time, however, Jaice had cleverly positioned himself so as to be immediately next to a place where the street forked, allowing him to sidestep to his left and avoid the entire gale. Urgeta, not expecting such an act, was unprepared when Jaice bounded around another corner and emerged to side of his assailant. Jaice swung Sangren, narrowly missing Urgeta who dodged faster than a hawk.

_How the hell is he making it seem so effortless?_ Jaice thought. _I have a high endurance and I've been sweating like crazy, yet he hasn't panted once! He couldn't have seen where I was coming from...maybe he sensed my reiatsu? Or was it just a lucky move? Or maybe he's figured out my style? _

"I underestimated you, I'll concede that," Urgeta said as he avoided another one of Jaice's attacks before slamming the butt of his broom into Jaice's cheek, knocking out a tooth in the process. "I may just have to play a bit dirty."

"Bring it on, fighting isn't supposed to have rules!"

The two entered a vivid dance of weapons, a cavalcade of combat, circling back and forth. Urgeta would often dodge Jaice's attacks, only to counter with a gust that, even if it damaged Jaice, did nothing to dampen his immense fighting spirit. Occasionally, Jaice would managed a dull scrape against Urgeta's clothes or perhaps a lucky punch, but other than that it appeared he was fighting an almost ethereal enemy. Regardless of his endurance, Jaice began to show signs of weakness which he himself realized: not and then a normally obvious strike would take him by surprise and deal more damage than expected. Luckily, however, Jaice had become better at avoiding the wind, or at least taking stances to lessen its impact. He had even begun to leave the glass in his body to prevent Urgeta from opening new wounds while also allowing the pieces to hold back bleeding.

"I don't think I ever got your name, determined warrior," Urgeta jested, sweeping his weapon's bristles across Jaice's face in an attempt to rile his opponent up even further.

"Jaice Gandaime, remember it for the little while you've got left to enjoy this world," Jaice said, gritting his teeth as he moved his skull through the bristles to headbutt Urgeta.

Urgeta cursed as he stumbled backwards, surprised by the blow. Jaice, seeing an opening, swung Sangren with astonishing speed, acid coursing through the air as the weapon moved towards his enemy. As the blade neared Urgeta's cranium, the Shinigami dodged to the side and grabbed Jaice's sword arm, using the impetus of the 9th Squad member's attack to pull him around in a circle and throw him to the ground. Jaice grunted as he went face-first into the granite below his feet, a loud crunch coming from his chest.

_Fuck, I think that bastard may have broken one of my ribs with that move,_ Jaice bemoaned silently. Jaice pushed himself to his feet, wobbling slightly as pained shot through his body.

"Judging from your expression, I'm assuming you're confused by the amount of pain you're in," Urgeta stated. "It was wise of you not to pull the shards out earlier, as it stemmed the bleeding but now," Urgeta pointed as the multitude of wounds on Jaice's chest, "I've driven them deeper by throwing you chest-down."

"Then I'll just kill you before they dig deep enough to finish me off," Jaice growled, "I've got a very high pain tolerance."

"Oh I realized," Urgeta replied, "but you're still simply a silhouette of a man in this state. You could barely keep up with me when you had only suffered a few minor wounds, but now you have no chance. You might as well let me kill you quickly; it would make things far less painful."

"Like I said, I don't give a shit about pain," barked Jaice. _Even if I can endure this, he's at least partly right. The loss of blood is causing Sangren's acid to thin, though luckily he hasn't noticed._

_Thisss isss not over, Jaice,_ a familiar voiced hissed in the Shinigami's mind. _We've come through sssticky sssituations before, haven't we?_

_Any advice then, Sangren?_ Jaice asked his zanpakuto's serpent spirit. _You going to lend me some more power or something?_

_Don't be ssso greedy, young one,_ Sangren proclaimed as its spiritual body slithered between Jaice's feet, unseen by Urgeta. _My ssstrength is partly reliant on your own. I'm jussst here to advice you not to give up._

_Thanks for the help,_ sarcasm leaked from Jaice's thoughts. _I wasn't planning on it. _

"Are you quite finished?" Urgeta asked, having watched Jaice stand staring into space for a full minute. "It's no fun killing you if you don't even try to fight back."

"Sorry, I was just contemplating several different uses I'll have for your head after I cleave it from your shoulders," Jaice affirmed, holding Sangren at ready as blood continued to stain the white parts of his kimono. Jaice rushed at his foe yet again, yet Urgeta did not seem to react, merely standing as Jaice's blade neared his chest.

Urgeta yawned as Balaive swayed in his hands, kicking up another gale. By now, Jaice had accustomed himself to withstanding these gusts; though they forced him to halt his progress, he still was able to maintain his position, for the most part at least. This time, however, Jaice screeched as he felt a pain unlike any he had felt earlier in this battle. He looked down to see new wounds opened in his chest, arms, and even felt pain in his cheeks.

"H...how the Hell?" Jaice gasped, falling to his knees.

"Answer that for yourself," Urgeta indicated Sangren. Jaice looked at the blade cluthced in his right fist, noticing that several inches of the tip seemed to be missing and the edges just below this area were jagged. "Yes, that's right, when I threw you to the ground your weapon impacted the stone as well. Your constant misses and overall loss of reiatsu during this fight caused your blade to weaken and snap, but only enough so that you didn't notice during your battle-rage. Yes, Jaice, you've been killed by your own weapon."

"...not...not dead...yet..." Jaice gapsed, his breath short as he crumpled to his knees.

"No, but the glass from earlier has worked its way deeper into your system; your constant movement helped aid its travels. That fact, coupled with the wounds I just inflicted, leaves you to a slow and painful death over the course of the next hour. I'd love to stay and watch you suffer, but I have business to attend to."

"What the...what the Hell are you doing anyway?" Jaice gasped.

"I prefer not to reveal too much on the off chance you live," Urgeta noted, "but I'll leave you with a word of warning: beware Scaramouche. Au revoir, for now!" With that, the blond Shinigami started jogging away from Jaice. The fallen warrior tried to stand, but now he felt immense pain in his legs, realizing shards had either entered these areas during Urgeta's most recent attack or had moved through his body during the fight.

Jaice groaned as he tried to pull his body along the cobblestones, moving only inches forward, each centimeter feeling like an eternity and requiring immense exertion.

_Sangren, Baiten, Tairos...I'm sorry, I failed you all,_ Jaice closed his eyes as his right hand relaxed, letting his zanpakuto slide onto the ground with a light scraping sound.

Character Profile: Urgeta Vega

Age: Unknown (appears 19 in human years)

Height: 160.02cm (5 feet, 3 inches)

Affiliation: Member of Scaramouche

Rank: Pawn

Hobbies: Cleaning, singing, drinking.

Zanpakuto: Balaive

Shikai: Balaive transforms into a broom when Urgeta commands, "Sweep, Balaive!" The broom itself is almost worthless in close combat; Urgeta will occasionally slam the wooden shaft into a pressure point on his opponent's body or into his or her face, or may even tickle them with the bristles in an effort to insult and anger his foe. The broom's true power comes from it's ability when swung: a minor gust of wind is created which can knock back some foes or, if concentrated, deal actual physical damage. The wind is also strong enough to pick up bits of metal, glass, and even rocks lying in the area, hurling them at Urgeta's foes with deadly effects.

HES: Well guys, the new arc is in full swing; things are only going to get a lot more exciting from here on out! Our heroes (at least the ones who are alive) sure have their work cut out for them! What of Scaramouche? You'll just have to keep reading to find out! Please review, as always I love to hear from the readers!


	21. Sinister Revelations, Unspoken Consequen

Chapter 21: Sinister Revelations, Unspoken Consequences

Baiten groaned as he continued to lug Shindou; though he trained hard, Baiten did not possess a great deal of physical strength and therefore had difficulty carrying his taller and heavier companion.

"Just a bit farther," Baiten said to himself as he edged forward, seeing the 4th Squad's District up ahead. It had been a grueling two-hour journey which, had Baiten not been encumbered and injured, would have normally taken only twenty minutes. The young Shinigami panted as he struggled to take another step, slipping slightly on a well worn tile and almost falling, but managing to retain his footing. _Luckily I'm sure-footed, _Baiten thought. _I can't afford to let anything slow me down, every second I waste is another chance for Shindou to drop dead._

Baiten grunted as he dragged Shindou another foot forward, the sweat and blood running down his body collating into a sticky, horrendous solution that coated his skin and clothing. Baiten could feel his muscles giving out, but he forced himself to push forward, the mantra of _I need to save Shindou_ echoing in the corridors of his mind. _Is there no one to help me?_ Baiten questioned, looking around the vacant streets. Usually, there was at least one Shinigami on patrol duty in each quadrant of the Squad Quarters, but it appeared that the guard was either in another area, off duty, or, Baiten thought fearfully, he had already been eliminated.

Finally, Baiten's strength deserted him and he slumped downwards, Shindou's body rolling off his back and landing on the cobblestones. Baiten coughed and slogged to where his friend's body had moved in hopes of lifting him again, but it was no use; the previous fights and the long walk had drained away all of his energy. Baiten fell to the ground, praying for a miracle.

--

"We're done for the day, you need a break," Crowe declared, returning his shikai to its sealed form and sheathing his weapon. "Good effort Tairos, just a few more years of this and maybe you'll stand a chance against me."

"Thanks boss," Tairos said, dropping his own weapon and falling backwards onto the ground, the soft grass cushioning his fall. "I think I'll just sleep here tonight."

"You sure you don't want me to take you out to dinner?" Crowe asked.

"You're paying?" Tairos asked, opening one eye and breathing deeply.

"Just don't order the most expensive thing on the menu, ok?"

Tairos chuckled as he forced himself to his feet and walked towards Crowe. "Ok, I guess I can find enough stamina then." Tairos smiled as his teacher as the two walked away from the training grounds, their strides slightly slower than normal as much because of the exertion as to admire the beautiful sunset that was occurring across Seireitei.

"Sunset only looks this glorious at the end of summer," Crowe sighed. "Each year it always feels like this time rolls around faster and faster. As summer dies, so die the hopes of the year as autumn sets in, leading us only to the frigid confines of winter. Spring always seems so far away..."

"Wow, I didn't know you could be so philosophical," Tairos replied, awestruck at his teacher's poetic diction.

"There's a lot you don't know, and probably never will know, about me," Crowe stated, his eyes narrowing as if recalling some painful moment. "But let's not dwell on suffering, we've got dinner ahead of us!"

"Is it all right if I invite Baiten and Jaice?" Tairos inquired. "I mean, they probably would appreciate spending time with us."

"Oh no, I can't afford to pay for you AND your friends," Crowe said, mock anger in his voice.

"They'll cover themselves, don't worry," Tairos answered. "Baiten hates racking up debt."

"Fine then, meet me at the grill in the 6th Squad District in an hour. I have some errands to run myself, so that should give us both enough time to accomplish our goals."

"Ok, I'll see you in an hour," Tairos said, walking off towards the 9th Squad District. Despite the tough rounds of training (including running exercises, combat training, reiatsu control, among others) Tairos was somehow feeling energized and a spring in his step was evident as he made his way across the field. His senses felt somewhat heightened, despite the brief training period; the smell of the grass was stronger and smoother than ever, while far away he could hear several cicadas singing their summer serenades.

Tairos did not, however, hear the figure creeping up behind him; at first the shape was far away, merely a speck silhouetted against the horizon, but before long it ebbed closer, until it was right behind Tairos, drawn zanpakuto pressing against his spine.

"Didn't you learn to never let your guard down?" The strangely familiar voice asked Tairos. "Don't turn around; just remember that had I been a villain, you'd be dead right now."

"You don't think I sensed you and just didn't react?" Tairos lied; in truth, he had no idea who this person was or that he or she had been him, though he did not want this fact to slip out.

"Somehow I don't believe you," the voice responded as Tairos heard the sword sheath. The figure walked to stand in front of him and, at once, Tairos realized who had been trailing him.

"Ellita? I thought you left!"

"I never said I wouldn't come back, did I?" The skilled Shinigami replied. "Gramps invited me to dinner too, I guess he just forgot to mention it to you."

"Yeah, must've slipped his mind..." Tairos trailed off. "Anyway, I'd love to stay and chat but I've got to find my friends."

"Mind if I join you? I've got nothing to do for awhile."

"Go right ahead," Tairos answered. _Why is she doing this? She did say I was cute the other day...maybe she's interested in me? Nah, can't read too much into things yet, I've got to see what happens._ "We're headed to the..."

"9th Squad District, I know," Ellita cut him off. "I know a little more than you seem to give me credit for."

"Sorry, I wasn't sure if you knew, no need to get snappy about it," Tairos said. "I just wanted to give you a heads up."

"No, I'm not mad," Ellita stammered, trying to cover her tracks, "I just don't like being belittled. I know you weren't _trying_ to do that, it just came off that way."

"Calm down," Tairos said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I'm not going to judge you. Let's just keep going, I don't want to be late." Ellita smiled as they headed off. An awkward silence fell over the two and they did not exchange another word until they reached Tairos's abode in the 9th Squad District.

"Here we are," Tairos said, walking up the wooden steps before knocking on the door. "Yo, guys, want to come to dinner with my boss and my new friend, Ellita?" After waiting several seconds Tairos knocked again. "Ok guys, not funny, are you coming or not?"

"Maybe they already left?" Ellita asked. "I can't sense any reiatsu inside the house.

"Yeah, but they'd probably leave a note or something since they knew I was out training."

"It's possible that they never returned," Ellita suggested. "Maybe they're still training with Gramps's friend?"

"I guess that's a possibility," Tairos said. "Maybe we should head over to where he lives and check it out?"

"Well, sadly I'm not exactly sure where his house is," Ellita sighed. "I never did research any of my grandpa's associates too much. Since we know his name, I'm sure we could find him by asking around."

"Yeah, but that might take too long," Tairos interjected. "We need to figure out a way to find them ASAP." At that moment, Tairos saw a convenient passerby on the street. "Hey buddy, can I ask you a question?"

--

"It's a miracle the boy survived all that," the first voice, a cracked and slightly insane sounding utterance, echoed through the chamber. "You're sure he doesn't have any healing abilities?"

"Of course not," a second, more metered voice, replied, "our tests have been extensive and past data indicates..."

"There are always exceptions or new discoveries," the first voice answered. "But regardless of data how is he holding up?"

"Well enough, considering we removed almost seventy shards of glass from various parts of his torso, limbs and even two from his skull. Luckily, they weren't very deep," a third voice, calm and matter-of-fact sounding, stated, "or he'd be nothing more than an interesting dissection specimen."

"It's lucky you were walking around the area where he collapsed," the first voice said to the owner of the second. "I hadn't thought any like _this_ were left."

"Like what?" The third voice asked, clearly confused.

"Never you mind, it's far too long and complicated a story for me to explain at the moment," the first voice answered darkly. "How long until the healing process completes?"

"Six hours, especially since his body is resisting most of the reiatsu we attempt to pump into him," the second voice stated. "That's why we placed him in the aqueous chamber," a wave of a hand indicated a glass pillar with greenish liquid flowing inside. Bubbles of reiatsu pulsed as they moved towards the naked body of the man inside.

"What will you do with him once he's healed? Turn him into another one of your experiments?" The third voice asked with a tinge of hatred in its voice.

"What I use him for is _my _business and, as your superior, I have no need to explain myself to the likes of _you_," the first voice roared.

"But you can't just allow him to go missing; there will be inquiries," the second voice noted.

"Very true, perhaps we need to devise a way to let him stay of his own accord," the first voice said as its owner stroked his pale chin with an equally pale palm. "We'll worry about this in three hours when we reconvene to check on his progress. Until then I want both of you to monitor his activity."

"Yes, Mayuri-sama," the two other voices declared as they turned back to the floating body of Jaice Gandaime.

--

Yoshi Kurishi had never been the most adventuresome Shinigami, nor had he ever been the bravest, or the strongest, or the most skilled. In fact, Yoshi was perfectly mediocre in everything with the exception of his reiatsu level. It was for that reason, and that reason only that he was able to graduate the Shinigami Academy and enter the 4th Squad.

Yoshi had only been working for about a year, and in that time he'd only performed three or four actual healings, of which most had either been or minor wounds or had been with the assistance of a more experienced squad member. In fact, Yoshi sometimes doubted if he'd be able to do anything more than stitch up a shallow cut.

These reasons were the cause of Yoshi's panic when he saw not one, but two Shinigami collapsed on the ground from severe battle wounds. The older of the two appeared to have suffered severe burns across his body, while the younger's body was covered with slash marks.

"It just _had _to be my night to patrol..." Yoshi moaned as he edged closer to the Shinigami. _I've got to do my job...but..._Yoshi's thoughts were interrupted by a dull sound. He paused to listen and thought he could hear a voice moaning, "Help."

Yoshi advanced cautiously until he was next to the first of the two bodies; it was the younger, black haired Shinigami. His clothes marked him as a member of the 9th Squad, though that meant little to Yoshi who was more worried about the sorry state of the man.

"Give me a minute and I'll fix some of the basic wounds before calling for backup," Yoshi said to the wounded Baiten.

"Don't...worry about...me," Baiten groaned as he nudged his head in Shindou's direction. "Take care of him first, he got the worst of it."

"What happened to you two?"

"There will be time to talk later, just please...save...him..."Baiten uttered before passing out. Yoshi reached inside his kimono and pulled out a bronze whistle which he pressed to his lips and blew loudly. Within five minutes, another six Shinigami had arrived to help Yoshi perform basic field repairs and carry the Shinigami back to a healing station.

--

_"There is no law but the Blade"_

_"There is no victory but through Sacrifice"_

_"There is no failure except Death"_

_"There is no state of perfection, only the Journey"_

_"There is but one path to peace and that is Justice"_

_Shindou's eyes fluttered open as they gazed at the four wooden walls of the dojo. Acacia...that was the name of the wood...that enticing aroma that always made him think of victory._

_It was here that he had honed his skills for two decades._

_It was here that he had first released his shikai._

_It was here he would realize the true meaning of the word Justice._

_Each day, Shindou and the other students would find time away from their normal work to come to the dojo, perhaps only for an hour. Here, their master, the well-known Prince of Parries himself, instructed them in the true Art of the Blade. Each day, they would repeat a mantra inscribed on the walls of the room, said to be carved by the master himself using only one slash for each character. _

_Today everything seemed different. Fewer students had come and the master seemed depressed, and strange state for a man who always seemed joyful and bursting with enthusiasm. _

_"Does something bother you, sensei?" Shindou asked, approaching his teacher with a look of fear clouding his face._

_"This is my final day of instruction, my loyal pupils," he declared. "I have been forced to close this dojo for reasons that I cannot explain. I still may offer private lessons, but they will be far harder to schedule and I will not be able to serve you all."_

_"Why master? What's happened?" Arashi asked. _

_"The Seireitei bureaucracy has seen fit to limit private training in schools such as mine, fearing that such places may be breeding grounds for militant organizations to spring up. Instead, they hope to re-focus towards personal training and squad-based exercises."_

_"That's absurd!" A student cried out. "You're one of the purest men in all of Soul Society!"_

_"Words mean nothing to them," the master replied. "We have all seen how even the best men among us can become villainous. And so, my friends, I would like to tell you goodbye. Feel free to stop by my house if you wish to chat. I will host tea every Friday afternoon; you are all invited."_

_Not a few tears were shed during this announcement and as Shindou left the school he felt a new emptiness creep into his heart._

Someday master,_ he thought, _I will find a way to restore your school. Perhaps if I can attain a high enough rank I can overturn this foolish legislation. Justice must reign.

--

"Sensei!" Shindou cried out, tossing as the 4th Squad medics continued to apply healing kidou to his burns.

"Damn him," one of the orderlies cursed as she stepped back to avoid Shindou's flailing arms, "he's struggling too damn much. After whatever the hell he went through, you'd think he'd be tired out!"

"Binding Kidou is authorized," another medic shouted as he rushed into the room. "I just got a pass from Captain Unohana."

"It's about time," the female orderly said angrily as she and her aides began to strap Shindou down with bonds of reiatsu. "Maybe now we'll be able to get more done! Why is it that you always get the easy ones, Sig?"

"You're seriously asking me?" The orderly who was healing Baiten replied. "I guess it's just more of my good luck rubbing off, eh? At least you get fun stories for the bar later!" Chuckles erupted from the room as the various 4th Squad members continued their activities.

"We're nearly done with this 9th Squader here; according to our files his name's Baiten Seisha, a low-ranking member, able to use his shikai, fairly average abilities all around," another orderly said, leading Vice-Captain Isane through the room. "Sadly, Shindou, the 7th Squad's 4th Seat, will have to remain here for at least two full days."

"Good, just make sure that a watch is always posted," Isane replied. "Either someone is after these two, they got involved with the wrong crowd, or perhaps they are criminals who just got more than they bargained for. Either way, keep an eye on them."

"Yes m'am," the healer saluted, "if there are any problems I will be sure to inform you straightaway."

--

_Baiten drifted between various dreams as he lay on the operating table in the one of the 4__th__ Squad's many hospital buildings. No matter what visions he had they also, inevitably, returned to the disturbing vision of the clown mask of his foe, the grotesque face contorting and seeming to come alive, no longer a mask but an embodiment of pure chaos and terror, it's jowls opening to reveals rows of crooked and decaying teeth that slowly ate Shindou alive while he watched helplessly before being consumed himself. _

_Baiten knew he must be moving in his sleep; he always did, regardless of his dreams. Often he'd wake up, hair a mess, sheets thrown every which way on his bed. Yet now he felt as if he was held stock still, at least mostly, frozen solid by the horrible events of the past day._

_The Shinigami continued to run the episode over in his mind. Who were these masked men? What exactly did they want? Could it be possible that there was villainous activity planned? Or, worse, is it possible that these men were in the employ of Seireitei's highest officials, making Baiten, Jaice, and Shindou little more than criminals themselves for attempting to impede such activities?_

_No, that was not it. Not at all. Baiten could sense the aura of vicious intent on these assailants, felt the vile reiatsu they released, tasted the terror they inflicted upon his comrades and he himself. As Baiten continued to think of all these things a suit of golden armor of an original design but with a slight European flavor slouched towards him._

_"I'm glad you survived, young Baiten," the armor said, speaking in a resonating bass._

_"Thanks, Justare, it wouldn't have been possible without your aid," Baiten answered his zanpakuto's spirit, his dream self floating beside the armor. "What do you make of all this?"_

_"I'm not sure, there's too little evidence to jump to conclusions, but I would note that these men fought far too brutally to be in the employ of the upper echelons of Seireitei government." Justare answered, his voice strong and his words clipped. "You needn't worry about such things now; keep resting. I'm sure you and your friends will find out more than you ever wished to know soon enough."_

--

"I'm sorry sir, but I can't let you through, this is a crime scene investigation area," the 8th Squad guard stated officially.

"Isn't this the house of the master swordsman nicknamed the 'Prince of Parries'?" Tairos asked. "If so you'd better let me in, my friends came here and haven't been seen since."

"Oh? Would you happen to have any leads on the investigation then?" the guard asked, raising an eyebrow quizzically.

"Of course," Tairos lied. "I know these two guys well, so if you just help me find them I'm sure we can pull some leads out." _Please, Jaice and Baiten, I hope you DID come here..._

"Well, we only found a great deal of blood and two corpses on the premesis. One was identified as the master himself, but the other was too cut up to identify and we've not had the chance to test the corpse's DNA." The guard said.

_Please guys, don't be dead,_ Tairos thought. "You don't have any other information you can give me?"

"Well, no I'm sorry, but you might want to check out the 4th Squad's District; if your friends were injured in the scuffle here they have may somehow been found...alive or otherwise." The last three words weighed heavily on Tairos and Ellita could swear that she saw a look of grim fear in his eyes.

"Thank you, sir, we'll be on our way."

--

"_Scaramouche!"_

_"Scaramouche!"_

_"Beware of Scaramouche!"_

_Jaice continued to play Urgeta's cryptic quote in his head, looking for a lead. Who, or what, was Scaramouche? Was it merely a name? Or perhaps a dead end? For some reason Jaice linked the name to the image of a singing head and a Latin American dance, but dismissed the thought quickly. _

_Regardless, Jaice realized that if he had these thoughts he was somehow alive, albeit barely. The pain in his body had subsided, but not fully died down. He could not find the strength to even open his eyes and take in his surroundings. He thought he'd heard muffled voices earlier, but they hadn't told him anything._

_Was he in a hospital run by the 4__th__ Squad? Had Urgeta captured him? Or was he somewhere else entirely?_

_Questions continued to arise and Jaice wondered why this whole situation seemed remotely familiar._

--

"Failures, the lot of you," the man's strong voice echoed through the meeting hall as he rose from his chair, his chessboard shaking precariously as his hip bumped the edge. He bent over toe steady the marble slab before continuing his speech. "I commend you for slaughtering the appointed target, but it is disgraceful that you not only drew attention, but also that you failed to kill your opposition."

"So, you're not mad about Jax?" The tall warrior asked, bandaging a slash wound on his arm.

"Pawns are so easily replaced; you all should keep that in mind," the first man, obviously the leader, continued. "I'd prefer to play with a full set, but for the time being we'll make do. Perhaps that is an assignment you won't screw up: finding us a competent new recruit."

"Hey, for the record I killed my opponent!" Urgeta said, smiling and performing a brief dance of glee.

"You can never be sure unless you remove the head from his shoulders yourself," the leader stated. "Though you did wound them all, my spies with Seireitei inform me that all three men are alive, albeit in poor condition. I also took the time to research them and, do you know what I found?"

"Fuck guessing games," the yellow-eyed warrior groaned. "Just get on with it."

"Show some respect, Anther, you're already on my bad side and you know how I can get when antagonized," the leader answered.

"Sorry...sir," Anther replied, resent in his voice.

"I discovered that two of the men were not even _ranked_ Shinigami; no, they were not officers, nor even junior leaders. They were nothing more than trash and _you_ struggled against them." Spite filled the leader's voice as he walked down the polished marble steps towards his underlings. "No, you were not supposed to release your zanpakutos unless necessary, which two of you did, but still they should have posed little problem."

"Don't forget we spent energy taking the 'Prince' down," the tall fighter noted.

"True, but that's irrelevant, considering you outnumbered the opposition two-to-one at several points in the battle. Regardless, I will continue to place my faith in you...at least for the time being. I will not, however, tolerate another failure." His eyes narrowed and his assembled minions froze in place. "Urgeta and Tyshi are dismissed; Anther, why don't you stay and play a game of chess?"

Name: Tyshoru "Tyshi" Wu

Age: Unknown (appears 31 in human years)

Height: 213.36cm (7 feet, 0 inches)

Affiliation: Member of Scaramouche

Rank: Pawn

Hobbies: Sleeping, climbing trees, camping, fishing.

Zanpakuto: Feusi

Shikai: Tyshi can release his zanpakuto by exclaiming "Scorch, Feusi!" His katana transforms into a single-edged, curved sword with four holes along the blade with the one closest to the hilt resembling a flame while the other three are circular. Tyshi's weapon allows him to send jets of flame through holes that are in the immediate area so long as Feusi is in contact with the surface of the ground. Tyshi has used this ability to send fire through holes his opponent's have unwittingly created as well, often burning them at unexpected moments. Feusi is also able to fire small fireballs but only at very close range (less than one meter).

HES: Thus, another chapter comes to a close and with it tons of new questions emerge while wild situations are underway: does Mayuri have a plan for Jaice? Will Shindou survive his treatment? What is the secret of Scaramouche? Keep reading to find out! Just so you all know, I start college this weekend so I am unsure how frequent my updates will be from now on. I PROMISE to do my best to update regularly, but again I have no idea how busy I will be/how much work I will have. I hope you all enjoyed my chapter and I look forward to your feedback!


	22. Awoken

Chapter 22: Awoken

Chapter 22: Awoken

"Glad…to…see…you too," Baiten gasped, his lungs feeling as if they had been crushed. "You can….let up a….bit…."

"Sorry," Tairos said, releasing Baiten from his embrace, "I'm just glad to see that you're all right. When you and Jaice weren't hope I was worried."

"Thanks," Baiten replied, "I'm glad to know you cared. How did the training go?"

"We can talk about that later," Tairos declared. "It took a lot of convincing to even be allowed to visit you for an hour. Explain everything that happened."

"It isn't that easy, Tairos," Baiten whispered and moving closer to his friend's ear. "I'm not sure it's best to discuss such things here, you never know who's listening. Once I get out of here, I'll tell you everything."

"Ok, fine, but answer me this: where the Hell is Jaice?"

"I haven't a clue," Baiten said, sullenly, "he and I were separated during the fighting; I assumed he'd made it here, but my nurses have all claimed that they haven't seen anyone who matches his description."

"Damn, well you seem fine here, so maybe Ellita and I should go look for him."

"That's an idea, but where would you start?" Baiten inquired.

"True," Ellita said, "when we visited the original battle site there was no sign of him, so he must have moved to another position."

"Or maybe someone disposed of the body…" Tairos muttered, his face twisting in anger.

"Don't lose faith in Jaice, he's probably the most capable of any of us," Baiten said. "Well, when it comes to fighting at least."

"True, but he's also the least likely to give up or get out when the going's good," Tairos noted solemnly. "Anyway, we'd best get going, we'll check back in about two hours and give a status report."

"Ok, good luck," Baiten said as he watched Ellita and Tairos exit. _Let's hope they don't need it._

--

_The valley was littered with corpses by the time the four Shinigami arrived, their kimonos billowing in the rancid air._

_Arashi held a hand to his nose in an attempt to blot out the smell, yet he still turned his face to the side in disgust as a mighty gust blew in their direction carrying with it the bouquet of rotting flesh._

_"How many did command say there were?" Shindou asked, turning to his Cell-mates. _

_"I don't know, maybe half a dozen?" One of the members, a younger girl with long blonde hair, replied. _

_"I figure at least one had to 've been killed," Arashi said, his nasal tone informed by his closed nostrils. "There's, what, sixteen bodies in all?"_

_"How can you make anything out of that mess?" The fourth Shinigami, a woman with short red hair and multiple piercings on her ears, nose, and lips, replied. "It looks more like a limb and blood market than a graveyard."_

_Shindou spat. "Try to show at least a little respect, they died with honor."_

_"Whatever you say," the redhead sighed. "All I know is that it's hard to believe six Hollow took out almost three times that number of 11__th__ Squaders."_

_"Yeah, I bet ol' Kenpachi's feeling pretty embarrassed right about now," Arashi joked. _

_"Try to stay focused everyone," the blonde said. "The Hollow could still be…"_

_Her speech was interrupted as a primordial roar erupted from behind the group._

_"Oh fuck," was all the redheaded woman could manage before the Hollow's mouth closed around her upper body, leaving only two bloody stumps where her legs once were. _

_"Bastard!" Shindou roared, bringing his sword through the Hollow's mask. _

_"Command was wrong!" The blonde cried, jumping behind a boulder to avoid another Hollow's claws. "There are at least eight others here."_

_"We can't afford to stay, let's retreat!" Arashi cried out, blocking a Hollow's tail with his katana. _

Damn it….we're just letting all their sacrifices go to waste_, Shindou thought, gazing at the corpses of the fallen Shinigami. _Dust in the wind….will we ever be able to get revenge?

_As the gates to Soul Society opened and the three Shinigami retreated inside, Shindou was filled with a sense of regret._

_He was unable to sleep that night, thinking of the broken bodies of his comrades._

--

"He's moaning at least," one of the healers murmured, swapping a blood encrusted bandage for a fresh one which he cautiously applied to Shindou's right shoulder. "He's got a lot of fight left."

One of the other 4th Squad members shook her head as she concentrated on the stream of azure reiatsu she was pumping into one of Shindou's many burns. "It's a miracle he's got anything left, but given the severity of these burns I don't think he'll make it. When he came in he was bucking like a wild stallion, but now he's barely even moaning. Our initial diagnosis of two days looks grossly incorrect unless we're guessing how long 'til his funeral."

"She's right," another chimed in. "Whoever he fought had a high-level fire based attack. Our healing reiatsu can do little more than ease the pain. He won't ever wake up."

"Damn it all," the first murmured. _It's the first time I'll ever see someone actually die on the operating table. I…can't take this!_ Tears welled up on Yoshi Kurishi's eyes as he stare down at Shindou's burned form. "No, we can't just let him die! We have to give it everything we've got and hope for the best!"

"Does it look like we're doing anything else?" An angry voice shot back at him as its owner continued to focus her reiatsu on Shindou's wounds. "I'm only stating that there's little chance of success at this point."

"You…you can't take that attitude!" Yoshi cried out. "If you give up in your heart, you'll fail. We have to keep an open mind. I believe we can save him!" The other healers turned to their inferior, amazed by the tenacity such a young and low-ranking individual possessed. Though he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, Yoshi thought he saw a small grin on the other's faces as their efforts appeared to redouble.

--

"Taking subject R to controlled environment 2-3. Preparing ordnance kidou level 16, preparing mods ranks 8 through 11." Arda Codestum's voice announced over the intercom. She currently sat above the chamber, staring down at the rocky floor and odd stalagmites that arose here and there.

"Preparations complete, opening door 6," a voice buzzed from Arda's receiver. "Do I have clearance?"

_Why'd we have to get him?_ Arda thought, mentally sighing. _He isn't the one I wanted; there's too much data on him to make this at all interesting._

"Do I have clearance?" The voice droned again, knocking Arda out of her thought process.

"Clearance given, send in subject R." Arda replied dryly, somewhat bored with the entire concept. This style of experimentation was not the kind she liked; enough information was already documented so that little new data would be gleaned from such an exercise. What she wanted was something completely new, something the 12th Squad had never before experienced.

Nevertheless, Arda watched with some level of interest as the test subject walked inside. Jaice Gandaime: he really wasn't that much to look at. His body did not appear to exhibit any traits out of the ordinary, though Arda had already seen the mark on his right arm. _He'll probably need another one after all this is over,_ Arda pondered, shaking her head. _This really is a lot of unnecessary trouble._

"Commence test," Arda declared into the microphone watching as Jaice, naked save for a loincloth, rushed to dodge a massive blast of orange kidou that erupted from a cannon on one of the walls.

"Where the fuck am I? What is all this?" Jaice cried out, his skin singed as he barely avoided another blast. "Where the hell is my zanpakuto! Give me back Sangren!"

_Such a pitiful display,_ Arda sighed. _He's doing exactly as predicted. Looks like another chance to copy and paste the experiment report. And, once again, Mayuri won't learn, he'll just force us to run more pointless tests. If only there was a way to make my Captain change the course of our investigations…_

Arda moaned and lazily tapped the control panel as Jaice ducked behind a rock to avoid another blast. It was going to be a long day.

--

_The world was black, darker than black. A lone voice called out to him in the darkness._

_"Hello, it's time to come away with me."_

_"Who are you?" Shindou asked the disembodied voice that seemed to come from everywhere and yet nowhere._

_"Do you not realize, Shindou? It is I, your father."_

_"Fa…father? I haven't seen you in years! Ever since…"_

_"I did what you must likewise do: die."_

_"It's before my time, I still have so much to do."_

_"No, son, this is the day it all ends."_

_"Father, I must decline, I will fight on." Cold laughter erupted from around Shindou's form and he looked down to see his body blackened by burns._

_"Then fight my son. I always admired your determination."_

--

"No leads here," Ellita growled, slamming her fist into a wall in the 1st Squad's District. "It feels like we've been everywhere and no one has any information. This smells like a cover up."

"Don't assume too much," Tairos replied, gazing around lazily. "It's just one Shinigami, most people probably barely care if they even heard anything at all."

"Which it's obvious they didn't," Ellita answered, annoyance punctuating every syllable. "What a waste of time. Jaice is probably out of our hands by now."

"Don't lose hope, we may also get lucky," Tairos laughed. "My friends and I have a history of that happening."

--

"Damn it!" Jaice Gandaime growled, dodging another blast of kidou from the chamber walls.

_Where the hell am I and what is going on?_ He thought. _This place seems...familiar, but I can't see why. _

Jaice cursed as, consumed by thought, he had ignored one of the cannons, a strong blast of reiatsu slamming into his naked back and pushing him forward into one of the room's stone walls. He grunted in pain, feeling the burning pain on his back and he pried himself off the seki stone.

"Experiment 1.1 complete. Observed results with 98.761 of expected hypotheses. Prepare environment for Experiment 1.2," a cold, metallic voice echoed from a speaker overheard. Jaice was unsure who spoke, but he was able to discern it was a woman.

"Bitch! What the hell is going on here? Let me out, damn it!" To enunciate his point, Jaice grabbed a loose stone from the floor and hurled it at the ceiling; the improvised missile fell grossly short, slamming onto the floor and shattering into dozens of fragments.

Arda Codestum watched Jaice's protests from the comfort of the observation room, tapping her fingers lightly on her cheek as she did so. "That's not a bad idea, boy, it may make things a little more fun in this boring place…" Arda grinned wickedly as she pressed a purple button on the control panel and watched as one of the chamber doors slid open. Not thinking twice, Jaice rushed out and into the 12th Squad District's streets.

"Where'd the subject go?" A voice blared on Arda's intercom. "I can't see him on any of the screens!"

"The bastard escaped," Arda yelled back. "Somehow one of the doors opened; I'm guessing he found one of the emergency switches."

"Well, we can't worry about him now, we have other matters to attend to," the voice crackled back. "3rd Seat Codestum, head out and try to round him up. Report back within two hours with a situation report. If we can't find him, we'll just have to resort to other experiments."

"With pleasure," Arda answered, referring more to the possibility of new tests. _Jaice Gandaime, we've learned all there is to learn from you. You're interesting, but not the MOST interesting one…_

--

"Uh….Baiten was it?" The quavering voice of Yoshi Kurishi addressed the 9th Squad member. "I think we need to talk."

"Yes?" Baiten replied, his voice still a bit groggy. "What's up?"

"Well, the good news is that you are free to leave now. Your injuries are fully healed. You may feel a bit under the weather for the next few days because of the latent effects of foreign reiatsu, but other than that you should be back to normal within a week."

"That's good. Now tell me the bad news."

"B…bad news?" Yoshi stuttered.

"I already knew the information you just gave me; it's also pretty obvious form the way you're twitching that you're hiding something. Just tell me."

"It's…Shindou…" Yoshi began, gulping.

"Is he in critical condition?" Baiten yelled. "I thought he was going to be all right within a few days!"

"No, Baiten, he's dead."

The words hit Baiten full on and he froze, unable to comprehend what was just said. "That's a lie, you're a damn liar!" He grabbed Yoshi by his collar and glared angrily into the youth's face. "Stop fucking around, this isn't the time for jokes! He's one of the strongest Shinigami I've ever seen, he can't have died that easily!"

"I'm sorry Baiten, but it's true."

Baiten shuddered as he released Yoshi, tears filling his eyes. He stood up from his cot and left the 4th Squad District, heading back to his home. The reality of the situation did not manifest itself until later that day when a Hell Butterfly visited asking that Baiten attend Shindou's funeral in three days' time.

Tears welled up in the young Shinigami's eyes as the house door slid open and three figures entered. Baiten tried to hide his melancholy as he addressed the entrants. "Where'd you end up finding Jaice?"

"He was just running around the streets, yelling something about a conspiracy," Ellita said, eyeing Jaice angrily. "What an idiot."

"Hey, there's a lot I've got to explain!" Jaice cried out.

"Well, where have you been?" Baiten asked, confused by Jaice's lack of clothing.

"Even I'm not sure of that. Anyway, why do you look so down?"

Glumly, Baiten sighed and related the bad news to his companions. After the tale finished, Jaice slammed his hands on the house walls.

"No no no, FUCK NO! I was supposed to kill him! Me! Damn it! Do you all know what this means? I have to track that guy down and slice him up myself; if I beat him, it'll be the same as me beating Shindou!" Jaice squinted his eyes as if to cry, but no tears flowed from his sockets.

"Jaice, for one second can't you just think about his death?" Tairos inquired. "He was a good man and, though you didn't like him, he came through for Baiten when he needed it."

"Last I checked, I'm allowed to have my own opinions, aren't I?" Jaice growled. "Anyway, before we go any further, I've got some information to give to you all. This is something that can't wait; we need to address it immediately. These enemies, whoever the hell they are…I think they call themselves Scaramouche."

HES: Hey everyone, sorry it took me so long to update but as you can guess I've been VERY busy! I'll do my best to have one update a month, but even that's something I can't promise. Anyway, I know you all probably are even more confused/angered by this chapter, but as I said this arc is going to be a lot crazier than any before! Expect even wilder things to happen in the future and keep your eyes out for the next chapter! Please review, as always I love hearing from my readers!


	23. Eraser Rain

Chapter 23: Eraser Rain

Chapter 23: Eraser Rain

_Eraser rain, wash away my pain._

These words flitted across Baiten's mind as he stared at the cold casket wherein Shindou lay. The coffin seemed too low-key for such a noble figure: the wood was cheap pine, there were no designs, and the quality of the paint job was lacking as well.

_This is no way to treat a hero._

Tairos was of the same opinion as Baiten, anger welling up inside among the feelings of woe. Shindou had given his all: he'd stood stalwart against villains, and yet now his legacy was nothing more than a plot of dirt.

_You bastard, letting someone else kill you._

Jaice gritted his teeth as he watched the coffin sink below the earth, guided by four muscular Shinigami from the 7th Squad who had served alongside the deceased. The full brunt of the truth only hit Jaice when he saw Shindou's body place into the casket; this was no hoax, the lifeless corpse of his rival really was in that box.

_My friend I…I should've been there._

Arashi Shinta was the most depressed of all; he had been crying almost nonstop since the pronouncement of his best friend's demise. It didn't seem possible, but he had to face the facts: Shindou was an excellent warrior, but even he was not immortal.

"Shindou was a good man," Captain Komamura began his speech, his massive mask disguising any emotion his face may have expressed. "In fact, I do not think I will ever truly be able to replace him. In some ways, I believed he would one day succeed me as Captain; he had so much potential and so many skills. There was no other like him. He was honorable, loyal, and determined. He will be greatly missed."

The tears of the assembled were masked by the rain that spattered their faces, the water masking the rivers of woe all released.

--

"One confirmed death, excellent work," the man's stern voice echoed across the chamber as he moved his rook. "It's good to see that little excursion accomplished something, especially since it was the strongest of them that was eliminated. Checkmate, by the way."

"Damn, I lose again," Anther cursed, scoffing at his pieces as if they were responsible for his defeat.

"I'd like to commend you, Tyshi, at least you've got some level of skill," the stern man continued as he rearranged the pieces to prepare for another game. The tall Shinigami he addressed had just entered the room, smiling as he heard his congratulations.

_I'm glad for once I was called here for something other than insults,_ Tyshi thought. "Thank you, sir," he noted, bowing slightly. "I'm glad I could be of help."

"Yes, this turn of events is especially useful for the next phase of our operation. I may need to dispatch a few of you again," the leader continued, nonchalantly moving his queen's pawn two spaces forward. "I may need to call out The Second Row."

"I…is that really necessary?" Tyshi stuttered. "I mean, we want to remain covert, at least for the moment."

"I have those devils put aside for a reason," the leader continued. "And I don't recall asking for your opinion on this matter. I make the plans; the decision is mine and mine alone. I also recall using the word _may_. I'd rather save them for later, but times being what they are I may have no choice. Tyshi, could you do me a favor?"

"What is it, master?"

"I need you to call the rest of The First Row here, including our newest member. I'll need to speak to you all. Be back within two hours if possible."

"As you wish." And with that Tyshi stalked out of the hall, the click of his sandals echoing in unison with the movements of the marble pieces on their board.

--

"Jaice are you coming? Dinner's ready!" Tairos called, shaking the contents of his frying pan onto the first of three ceramic plates.

"It's no use," Baiten mumbled, "he hasn't left the training post or said a word since we got back."

Tairos stuck his head out the door and looked towards the practice dummy the three friends had recently purchased. It wasn't even a month old but Tairos could already see both arms had been hacked off and numerous other sections were in bad shape, scarred by blade-work of cracked by punches and kicks. Meanwhile, Jaice was wildly swinging Sangren, its acid pooling at the foot of the structure. Jaice said nothing as he continued his onslaught, his attention focused completely on the target in front of him.

"Hey! Did you ever hear me?" Tairos asked.

Jaice paused momentarily, turned towards Tairos, raised his middle finger, and then proceeded to continue his attack with renewed fury.

"You bastard! Why I…." Tairos growled, stopping as he felt Baiten's hand on his shoulder.

"Let him be, we all have our own ways of coping with this tragedy."

"I guess you have a point, but it still doesn't mean he has to be so rude."

"Give him time, it will blow over," Baiten said. "Let's just give Jaice his space for now."

"Ugh…I've been feeling a bit down myself," Tairos sighed. "I wasn't even there to help you guys when any of this happened. I feel like I could've prevented it."

"There was no way you could've known what was going to happen."

"Yeah, but I still wish I had helped…"

"There was nothing you could've done," Baiten said. "We can speculate forever without solving anything. Who knows? Maybe if you had shown up you'd be the one dead right now."

"At least then I wouldn't have to watch my friends suffer," Tairos sighed. "No, you're right, I should be glad that I'm alive."

"Yeah, don't feel bad, we've got to concentrate on the future. I've heard we're back on Hollow eradication duty, not to mention this whole Scaramouche mystery."

Tairos nodded. "Yeah, let's eat for now; we'll worry about all the complexities later."

--

"Tairos, wake up this is urgent!" Baiten yelled, shaking his friend's slumbering form.

"Wha…? Five more minutes…" Tairos muttered, turning over to the other side of his pillow.

"This can't wait, damn it! We've got emergency orders to suppress a Hollow attack!" Jaice roared. "The report just came in: all available Shinigami from the 9th Squad are being dispatched to Rio di Janero where a massive Hollow invasion is underway!"

Tairos instantly shot bolt upright, grabbed his kimono, and changed rapidly. "We can't waste time then. No one else is going to die because I'm busy with my own self-centered activities." He strapped his katana to his belt and rushed towards the door. "No time to waste!"

The battle was already well under way by the time Jaice, Tairos, and Baiten arrived at the scene. Already, the corpses of numerous Shinigami, Hollow, and even humans littered the landscape. The three watched in horror as a massive bear-like Hollow swallowed two entire Cells whole, the screams of the dying Shinigami seeming to echo across the landscape. The once beautiful beach was now a scene of carnage, the waves occasionally depositing another corpse on the sand. Out the sea, the three noticed a large Hollow resembling a shark was doing battle with two Shinigami who seemed to have fought it to a standstill.

There was little time to take in the sights, however, for almost instantly a Hollow assaulted the group. The creature resembled a crab: two massive, bony white claws protruded from a carapace supported by eight clacking legs. Tairos dodged the initial claw sweep, while Baiten and Jaice stood side by side, blocking the blow together to prevent the monster from leveling a nearby house. Distracted, the beast did not hear Tairos's chanting or see the blast of Blue Fire until it had already begun incinerating the creature's body. Jaice and Baiten jumped onto its back, hacking at its shell with their katanas; the monster tried to attack them, but its body shape, like that of all crabs, prevented its claws from reaching them. It could only flail about randomly as it was slowly, but surely, brought down by the effort of the trio of warriors.

Suddenly, a crash of thunder was heard in the distance. Jaice, Baiten, and Tairos looked out to sea and noticed a cadre of storm clouds rolling in on the horizon.

"Damn it, once that rain hits things are only going to get worse," Tairos declared. "We'd better hope no more Hollow show up…"

As if in response to Tairos's statement, a mighty roar erupted over the landscape, attracting the attention of Shinigami and Hollow alike. All turned their heads towards a massive tear in the fabric of space through which a massive Hollow mask emerged. Its face was blank, with a long, conical nose covered with holes acting as the only distinguishing mark on its body. The rest of its form was merely a long black robe and, as the creature rose to its full height all were astounded at the massive size.

"A Menos Grande? It c…can't be!" Someone cried out.

"We're doomed, we're fucking doomed!" Another voice yelled.

Bodies ran every which way, some to escape, some to get closer in hopes of defeating the creature. Jaice smiled wickedly.

"Finally, things start getting interesting. Nice to know there are Hollows out there with some level of power."

Tairos and Baiten, however, were speechless, and could only watch in horror at Jaice and a group of other Shinigami raced towards the abomination.

Suddenly, the tip of the Hollow's nose began to glow red, power gathering in a crimson sphere the pulsed viciously. The ball increased in size until, after several seconds, the Hollow released it in a massive blast. Dozens of Shinigami were decimated while others towards the back of the group, like Jaice, were merely thrown high into the air, some of them unlucky enough to be blasted into rocks or solid walls, crushing their bones and placing them among the dead.

Jaice, however, was lucky, coming to a soft landing on the beach's sand. He rose quickly, dusted himself off, surveyed the damage, and narrowed his eyes. "This looks like it will be more fun than I thought." As he readied to run, he felt something tugging on his arms, preventing him from moving forward. He turned back to see Baiten and Tairos, each holding one of his arms.

"You can't go alone, it's suicide!" Tairos declared.

"Well, you bastards aren't stopping me! I want to fight that thing!"

"We aren't here to stop you; we're offering our assistance." Baiten said. The three friends looked at one another and smiled. "It will take at least another thirty seconds before it can charge another Cero, so we'd best give it our all now. I suggest we try The Combo."

"We haven't practiced it enough," Tairos said, "our chance of success is slim."

"Yeah, but if we don't try it we don't stand a chance against that thing." Jaice noted. "I'm in."

Tairos sighed. "Fine, I guess I've got no choice in the matter. Let's do it."

The three friends stood side by side and simultaneously released their zanpakutos.

"Balance, Librar!"

"Judge, Justare!"

"Bleed, Sangren!"

"STATUE OF JUSTICE COMBO!"

As the three voices chorused together, each member of the team began his respective duty. Tairos, to the left, focused all his reiatsu and drew energy from the Hollow, halving its massive store of reiatsu and giving a great deal to himself; as he began chanting in preparation for a kidou strike, Baiten, to the right, focused what light energy was available to blind the beast, causing it to roar in agony. In the middle, Jaice began racing towards the creature, acid flying from his blade. As he neared the base of the creature's body, Tairos aimed a blast of kidou at his feet, propelling Jaice upward in front of the creature's face. It began charging a Cero but, in its blinded state, the Hollow could not discern where its attacker was coming from, turning to the right and firing, missing Jaice and firing worthlessly into the middle of the ocean.

"See you in hell," Jaice roared, raising Sangren in preparation for the final blow. As Jaice brought his weapon down on the rear of the Hollow's mask, Baiten and Tairos set about peppering the creature with blasts of reiatsu, moving in closer to deliver simultaneous slashes so that the final strike of each blade coincided with the death of the Hollow. As its body dissipated, the other Hollows in the area began to flee, rushing back to Hueco Mundo as fast as possible. The victorious surviving members of the 9th Squad did not merely let them escape; the Shinigami attacked the slower Hollows, dispatching them with blade and kidou, eliminating as many of the corrupted spirits as possible.

Just as the final Hollow dissipated from the area, the storm clouds reached the beach and rain began to fall in heavy sheets. The precipitation coursed over the Shinigami, the water cooling their heated bodies which were recovering from the battle. Tairos, Baiten, and Jaice smiled as the droplets of rainwater slithered across their skin and clothing. They were alive; they had defeated one of the mightiest types of Hollows. They had saved lives.

When they returned to Soul Society, Tairos produced a bottle of sake and poured his two best friends a glass. As their raised their cups, they simultaneously proclaimed: "To Shindou!"

--

"Ha, those idiots are getting drunk, this will be even easier than I thought," Tyshi declared as he stood on the roof of the building adjacent to his targets' house.

"Don't get overconfident just because you killed a 4th Seat, at least two of them proved some trouble for Urgeta and, if the stories are true, you as well," a female voice spoke from behind Tyshi, her face obscured by a clown mask.

"Hey! He would've died if he hadn't been found by the damn 12th Squad!" Urgeta grunted.

"Keep your voices down you idiots," Anther stated, "we can't afford to fail this phase. If we do, things are going to get messy very quickly. Don't play around: kill the targets and leave, those are your orders. If things go badly, we are to withdraw ASAP keeping casualties to a minimum."

"Hm…sounds like your father's really starting to rub off on you, eh?" Urgeta joked.

"I may be the King's Pawn but that doesn't mean I'm anything like him," Anther snorted. "Anyway, we'll wait until the other four give us the signal; once they start their end of the plan we can proceed to ours. For now, keep your heads down and stay quiet."

HES: Hey all! Once again, I apologize for the slow pace of updates. As you can imagine, college continues to be very, very busy! As usual, I will try to keep my promise of one update a month, but I will do my best to post new chapters sooner if I am able. I hope you're all enjoying the story; things are only going to get crazier from here on out! Please review, I always like to hear what my readers think of my work!


	24. Simultaneous Assault! Trial of Time!

Chapter 24: Simultaneous Assault

Chapter 24: Simultaneous Assault! Trial of Time! 

"Ugh….we always get assigned the boring jobs," the first voice sighed, the words barely echoing off the shadowy walls within the 12th Squad's District.

"Hey, our end is the more important one, remember?" A second, sterner tone replied. "The main part of the plan implies that we have to succeed here."

"Cut the talk, we need to start ASAP," the third said, the words hanging limply in the air. "Queen's First Row, move out!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Confirmed: the other half is on the move," Anther stated as the Hell Butterfly left his fingers. "Remember: their half is key to this phase of the operation. If you screw up, make damn sure that they don't find out what else is going on. Our orders are to terminate those three and offer backup to the others if need be; we're more of a diversion than anything, so if things get rough, stall."

"Enough with speeches already," Urgeta whined, "can't we get to killing?"

"Your impetuousness is going to get you killed someday," the female Pawn stated.

"When it happens, I'll know that I finally found a fun opponent," Urgeta stated. "I'll die with a smile on my face."

"If I didn't know you, we wouldn't talk," Tyshi said darkly. "You're one crazy motherfucker."

"Why else do you think the boss keeps him around?" The woman said.

"Hey! We didn't come here to discuss who's sane and who isn't. We need to attack their position and wipe out those bastards. Anyone with knowledge of our organization is a thorn in the side of our plan," Anther growled.

"What if they already reported us? That's the logical step," the female said.

"It's unlikely. First off, who would believe them? Jaice Gandaime is a known firebrand and, according to our sources, they haven't spoken to many people beyond their small circle." Anther noted. "Even _if_ they said something, the bureaucracy of Soul Society is too tied up to worry about some unranked nobodies spouting conspiracy theories. Now, let's cut the talk and move in."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So then I says, 'That's _my_ sword,' and then she just starts laughing," Tairos continued his drunken tale, tipping his sake glass and spilling a bit as he spoke.

"That's fu…fu…fucking bullshit," Baiten stuttered before laughing. "Are ya with me, Jaice?"

The third Shinigami snorted, his arms crossed as he narrowed his eyes at them. "Honestly, you two need to learn that getting drunk is for fools."

"Hey, I know my limit," Baiten groaned, "but tonight's a night t' celebrate! We killed a freaking Menos!"

"Damn right!" Tairos roared, high-fiving Baiten before offering his hand to Jaice who turned away.

"I had half a glass, that's more than enough. Being drunk leaves you weakened."

"Yeah, but only temporarily," Tairos gargled. "What do I have t' fear now?"

As if in answer to Tairos's drunken query, two of the doors of the group's house slammed onto the ground. At each portal stood two figures wearing clown masks and brandishing zanapkutos.

"Oh, fuck me." Tairos groaned.

Jaice rolled his eyes and drew his weapon. "Told ya so!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arda Codestum hated patrol duty, especially at night. As a 3rd Seat, she always expected more glamorous jobs, but the pace of experiments had slowed down lately. On the bright side, it meant she had less paperwork to fill out, but even so she needed her sleep. The 12th Squad District was always one of the quietest, so long as you ignored the screams of prisoners and test subjects, but even that was usually droned out by the night wind or machinery.

Arda perked up her ears as she rounded a corner, sure she had heard footsteps. Peeking her head around a wall, she surveyed the area: there was nothing to be seen.

_It must've just been a rat,_ she sighed. _At least there's only an hour more of my shift, then it's off to bed_.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Close, damn close," one of the shadowy figures panted.

"No, she didn't have a clue," another spoke. "Our reiatsu is masked and our sandals are padded; it's doubtful she had any clue something was here."

"Good, we'd best avoid a fight, especially with _her_," the third whispered. "We'd better keep moving, we're not far from the target site. Once we get the schematics, we need to exit ASAP. Lorsun, I'm assigning you to rearguard, got it?"

The fourth member merely nodded, his expression unchanging beneath his mask.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Baiten gasped as the blade buried itself in his chest, coughing as the weapon was removed and inserted once again. Jaice cursed as he blocked another strike from one of the masked foes, turning to kick at another who rolled backwards and rose, grabbing Tairos by the collar and throwing him through a wall and into the streets.

_We're fucked, so very fucked,_ Jaice thought. _Three on four, and two of us are drunk! If those bastards survive this, _I'll_ be the one to kill them for their idiocy. _

"Lost a lot of spunk, eh Gandaime?" Urgeta chuckled, punching Jaice in the gut as he was distracted by his opponent's sword feint. "I guess you get weaker when you have to worry about your friends."

"Fuck you," Jaice grunted, aiming a snap-kick at Urgeta's groin but falling short as his enemy side-stepped and slammed the flat of his blade across the 9th Squad member's face.

"In a way, I'm happy you didn't die, it means I get the pleasure of kicking your ass all over again," Urgeta continued, his laughter intensifying, the violent guffaws seeming to echo with malice. "This time, I won't play around: I'll just kill you quickly and be done with it."

"Then why haven't you released yet?" Jaice asked, spitting out a tooth as he reeled from the impact of the last blow.

"I want to actually _challenge_ myself," Urgeta stated, dodging a clumsy blow from his foe. "And besides, if I start kicking up wind in here it's just as likely that I'll injure one of my allies."

Meanwhile, Baiten and Tairos were faring poorly. Each man's body was littered with blade wounds and bruises and neither was able to properly gain his footing. Somehow, each had managed to draw his sword in the midst of the turmoil, but it had done little. Tairos, having somehow stumbled back inside the house, had managed a lucky swing at one point that caught his attacker's off-hand, but that had done little more than provoke more rage from the foe. The two had become backed into a corner by their three foes; side by side the drunken friends swayed, each praying that some miracle would come to save them but knowing that such a thing was impossible.

_I got lucky once when Shindou showed up_, Baiten mused. _That won't happen again. It can't happen again. I'm really going to die; this is what we get for letting our guard down so easily. _

The three attackers advanced on the duo, their clown masks looking more hideous to the inebriated warriors. Each foe raised the blade he or she carried, ready to strike the final blow.

"Oh fuck! We've got a problem." Urgeta moaned, causing his friends to turn their heads. Another masked figure stood in the doorway, silhouetted eerily against the backdrop of the night sky. He appeared fairly muscular, his sleeveless kimono accentuating the rippling mass of muscles the adorned his upper limbs. He advanced slowly, deliberately, with each step seeming to suck energy from the inhabitants of the room. The members of Scaramouche were just as paralyzed; Tairos, Jaice, and Baiten saw an opening to attack, but even they were frozen by the reiatsu this man exuded. His aura was both powerful and foul.

"S…sir, what are you doing here?" Anther stuttered. "Is there a p…problem?"

"Yes, there's been a change of plans," the figure said, moving more into the light. His mask was now revealed; unlike the others, his clown was not as jovial, a more wicked face with fanged teeth and scars along the cheeks. "The Master has ordered us to proceed to the next phase of the plan immediately."

"B…but why is that? We can easily kill these fools now and…." Anther attempted to speak, but a blast of reiatsu from the man prevented him from continuing.

"Of course you could; or, you could put your energy towards something more

useful. The second team is already almost finished, so I helped convince the Master that our time is better spent on our overall agenda, not petty squabbles with nobodies."

"Leaving them alive is a liability," Anther answered.

"And failing to complete our mission is worse," the figure replied viciously, rushing forward and pushing Anther into a wall with one of his muscled hands. "Do you think I was dispatched for no reason? Even I have my own work that needs to be done yet here I am delivering a message to you ingrates. A Hell Butterfly would just be ignored; you damn idiots would be too busy fucking around with these low-lives. That's why I _had_ to come. Now, here is your new assignment," he pushed a scroll into Anther's hands. "I will deal with these three and then head back to my own mission. I can complete the task much faster than you all ever could."

"Y…yes sir! King's First Row, move out," Anther said after briefly studying the scroll. "Follow me!" The other four nodded and rushed off behind Anther, all of them visibly shuddering.

"Now, I won't be so generous with you three," the figure stated coldly, moving towards Baiten and Tairos. Their wounds had begun to take a dangerous toll as each one sank towards the group, unable now to even lift their swords. Jaice jumped in the way, brandishing Sangren; the new enemy, however, was nonplussed and seemed to teleport behind Jaice, interlocking the fingers of his two fists and bringing them down across Jaice's skull. The sound of cracking bone was audible as the blow connected. Jaice swayed momentarily, then dropped to the ground, blood trickling from his mouth.

With his first and most dangerous target down, the masked man was free to once again head towards Tairos and Baiten. The figure cracked his knuckles and pulled a fist back before aiming a punch at Tairos's skull.

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"Objective complete, let's get out of here," one of the masked figures said, wiping blood from his sword and sheathing it before tucking several rolls of paper into his kimono. Around the four members of Scaramouche, bodies lay littered, former 12th Squad members who had fallen beneath the blades of these deadly assassins.

The other three warriors nodded in unison as the group exited the room, heading back into the streets and rushing away from the district as quickly as possible.

Lorsun, the warrior assigned to rearguard, looked around warily as his allies rushed ahead of him. Something wasn't right; he had a feeling something was about to pounce on them any moment.

Lorsun's insight proved true as he felt a blast of kidou glance off his leg. He turned to see the figure of Arda Codestum, right hand smoking from the recent release of energy while her left hand held her sealed zanpakuto.

"Who the hell are you and what have you been up to?" Arda asked Lorsun, who did nothing but draw his own weapon. "Oh, I guess it's going that way, eh?"

_"Your mission is to stall anyone who attacks us," _Lorsun remembered his friend informing him earlier. _"Kill them if possible, but do your best not to attract attention. It is more vital that we escape with the documents than anything else." _

"You seem a bit startled," Arda declared, noting Lorsun's shaky movements as he attempted to attack her. Dodging a sword sweep, she continued to speak. "Your reiatsu masking is top notch, so that's not how I found you. See, we at the 12th Squad plan for everything. The top ranking members had chips implanted into some of our most important research officials; the chips monitor their adrenaline levels, heart rate, and brain activity. Every high ranking member, 5th Seat and up, has a device that monitors these chips; mine started beeping like crazy when you assaulted that research center. Now, please give back what you stole and I promise not to kill you; we need more test subjects anyway."

Lorsun's rage grew as Arda continued to effortlessly dodge his attacks, not even retaliating save hurling the occasional insult his way.

"If you haven't realized yet, I'm a 3rd Seat," she taunted. "I'm on a whole different level; you can't possibly hope to defeat me."

Lorsun grunted defiantly and stepped back, extending his right arm which clutched his katana so that the weapon was at a forty-five degree angle from his right side to the ground. For the first time in what seemed like ages, his raspy voice hissed: "Snort, Schviner!" At that moment, Lorsun's katana began to morph, its shape shifting and becoming thicker and slightly shorter before revealing its new form; the zanpakuto was now a thick club with four lines of six holes spaced evenly around the central cylinder.

"Oh, nice to see you have a shikai," Arda commented. "Now I know you aren't _total_ shit, just mostly."

Lorsun seemed to ignore her comment as he rushed forward. Steam issued from the holes on his zanapkuto, shrouding him in a layer of mist. Arda dodged, simultaneously raising her blade to brace for an attack just in case. As she moved through the haze, she sensed a figure behind her and turned. Seeing a weapon rushing towards her, she raised her own blade, but her attempt was too slow. With bone-crushing force, the club slammed into the side of Arda's face, knocking her to the ground. She stood rapidly and touched her cheek; it was wet with blood and several bones were broken.

_Damn it, if I need reconstructive surgery after this it'll be a big pain in my ass,_ she thought. _I underestimated him; that blow didn't exactly tickle. Anyway, how the hell did he strike so quickly with something of that size? _

Arda glanced around, noticing that the haze emitted from her opponent's zanpakuto now shrouded her completely. She shivered, unsure what to expect. Suddenly, the club emerged from in front of her, zooming towards her skull. She stepped back, thinking the impetus of the strike would pull her foe and his weapon to the ground; she was mistaken. The club shifted upwards immediately, moving forward as it did so, catching Arda in the lower jaw.

Arda stumbled, staring at her enemy for a brief moment before he disappeared back into the fog. _I think I know how he's doing this; those holes on his weapon emit steam which gives it extra propulsion, making his attacks faster and more damaging. The spacing of the holes means that the weapon can also rapidly change direction. _She panted and continued to look around, trying to anticipate Lorsun's next attack. _There's no way I can take more than one or two hits from that thing before I'm done for. I can already feel part of my jaw is cracked, and there's no doubt some damage to my cranium. Let's just hope I can survive this without too much lasting damage. _

Arda's thoughts were interrupted as she heard a rush of air, dodging rapidly to narrowly avoid the flying bludgeon. The steam emanating from the dull metal blew against her face, its heat unwelcome and unnerving the 12th Squad member. Just as she was able to see Lorsun's figure, he retreated back into the cloud of smoke.

_Damn him, he's got the advantage in a big way,_ Arda noted. _I may be more skilled than he is, but this strategy is definitely taking its toll. If I could just reach him I could slice off his head, but the issue is finding the bastard in all this smoke. _At this point, Arda smacked herself in the face. _You idiot, why not try running OUT of the smoke? Sheesh, I'm slow today._ Arda raced through the haze, eyes glancing sideways now and then in anticipation of an attack. As she cleared the fog, she was greeted by Lorsun's zanpakuto racing towards her face. She raised her zanpakuto to block, only to watch steam erupt from the holes on the weapon's top, pushing it downward and into position to strike her stomach. Arda felt the wind knocked out of her as the weapon connected while simultaneously hearing a crack that could only be connected to the searing pain in her ribcage.

"You bastard!" Arda coughed. Lorsun released gas from his throat as her pain became evident; Arda was unsure of he was laughing, scoffing, or just breathing heavily. The Scaramouche member's mask glimmered wickedly in the moonlight as he raised his club above his head to deliver a crushing blow atop his foe's skull.

As Schviner sailed towards Arda's head, the 3rd Seat gripped her zanpakuto tightly and drove it straight through Lorsun's chest before rolling out of the way of his strike. Lorsun's head tilted downwards as he watched his weapon strike the ground aimlessly, a dull thud against the flagstones his only reward for his attempted assault.

Arda smiled, rising to pull her sword from his chest. "I didn't even need to release to beat someone like _you_," she snorted. "I commend you for your efforts; you almost had me a few times. But, as I said, I'm a ranked officer, and you're just some insignificant rat. I will admit I'm going to need a few days of healing before I'm fighting fit again. Now, please hold still and I'll make your death quick and painless. Resist, and I'll give you to my boss as a new test subject; let's just say his last seventy-four have all died after an hour of the experiment and he'd like them to live for at least three."

As she spoke, Arda did not notice a chartreuse gas rippling from the Schviner's holes. She began coughing as the vapors entered her nostrils, turning to see her opponent's weapon still clutched in his hands.

"Last…vengeance…huh?" Arda stammered, staggering towards her bleeding foe as he sunk towards the ground. She wrested her sword from his chest and pulled it back, aiming for his neck. "Sadly…it's…in vain…against me…" Arda cleared her throat, gathered her strength, and aimed her enemy's exposed neck. "My boss's zanpakuto uses on poison gas too, do you think I wouldn't have practiced resistance measures just in case? I've exposed myself to varying amounts of hundreds of toxins; there's no poison I know of that can kill me. Now, even though your little attack was futile, my throat is still a bit sore so I'm going to shut up and behead you."

Arda did just that.

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Baiten vomited twice upon waking up, partly from the alcohol and partly from the severe beating he had endured hours before. He was in an unfamiliar setting, an octagonal room with slate colored metallic walls, a single door, and a bucket (which Baiten had already made extensive use of). He thought back to the events in the recent past, wondering where he was and how he'd arrived at this location.

_The masked figure approached Tairos, bludgeoning him severely with his thick fists. The warrior's knuckles were already red with blood, yet he showed no signs of slowing down or discomfort. He turned from Tairos's limp figure and moved towards Baiten, the latter still bleeding from the sword wounds he had received moments before. Baiten knew there was no way out; no one would or could come to save him this time. He had to accept it; he had lost and Scaramouche, whoever or whatever it was, had won. His thoughts ended as a single fist slammed directly into his face._

Baiten shook his head. It didn't make any sense. Why would they spare him? Hadn't their mission been to eliminate him? Were they keeping him alive as a torture subject? Perhaps they sought to extract information from him?

A loud series of clicks echoed through the air, clinging off the metallic walls giving it the eerie feeling of inevitability. Baiten gulped and rose to his feet; he was amazed that he was able to stand and was more surprised when he looked at his chest to see that he no longer bore any wounds. He turned his head towards the door as he heard the hinges creak, shuddering at the figure that stood before him.

It was the same man who had made short work of Jaice and Tairos, the one who had easily bested Baiten and inspired such fear in the other members of Scaramouche. Baiten backed towards the wall, unsure of how to react to this man.

"You and I both know you have nowhere to run, Baiten," the figure said, it's voice cold and stern.

"How do you know my name? Do you have spies watching me?" Baiten stammered. "Well, that's all the information you'll get! I'll die before I reveal anything more!"

The figure chuckled and moved closer to Baiten, his steps metered and slow, inspiring a sense of both awe and fear.

"Then you really _don't_ know, do you?" The masked man asked Baiten, nearing the shivering Shinigami.

"What do you mean?" Baiten asked, more confused than ever. "I won't demand answers, but it wouldn't hurt to know what the hell is going on!"

"You'll find out soon, sooner than you'll probably want to anyway. You're not going to die. Well, not as long as you fight well. As I said, though, that will come in time."

"Well then, for now let me ask why I am here and why I was spared," Baiten said, confusion in his voice.

"If you insist, I'll tell you a bit to tide you over for now. You're here to fight, and perhaps gain more than you could ever imagine," the figure spoke. "You were spared because you were worth sparing."

"And why was that? Because I'm a skilled fighter?"

"That," The figure chuckled to himself. "And because I won't kill you."

"What? Why? This doesn't make any fucking sense! Either give me answers now or kill me already!"

"You didn't _used_ to be this slow so I guess I'll help you out, just this once," the figure said, slowly removing its mask to reveal a hawkish nose, black hair, brown eyes, and stubble. "Do you remember me now, brother?"

"Jerik!?"

Character Profile: Lorsun Shiran

Age: Unknown (appears 33 in human years)

Height: 173.36cm (5 feet, 8 ¼ inches)

Affiliation: Member of Scaramouche

Rank: Pawn

Hobbies: Painting, sculpting, weapon maintenance, being silent.

Zanpakuto: Schviner

Shikai: Lorsun can release his zanpakuto by declaring "Snort, Schviner!" His katana transforms into a thick, blunt club with four rows of holes along the blade. These holes can emit steam and gases which can serve several purposes. Firstly, the gas can create a haze in which Lorsun's foes may be lost; as he uses this ability often, he is used to fighting in such conditions and thus it does not bother him. Secondly, the weapon can emit steam of the holes on the side opposite the target, propelling the weapon forward faster and causing it to strike harder, dealing a greater degree of damage. Finally, the weapon can release a toxic gas which can slow, incapacitate, or kill Lorsun's opponent should the need arise; this trick is risky, however, as a high dosage of the smoke can damage Lorsun himself; thus, he uses this attack only as a last resort.

HES: Well, that was a wild and interesting chapter if I do say so myself. Things are really building up, as promised! More fights, more death, and more wild revelations are on the way! As you may have noticed, chapter updates have become a little more frequent; I'll do my best to have a chapter up every two to three weeks, but I can't make any definite promises!


	25. Pawn

Chapter 25: Pawn

Baiten was still awestruck as he stared at the man in front of him. This shinigami, this warrior, was a Scaramouche member, but he was also Baiten's older brother, Jerik.

"I…I can't believe it," Baiten stammered, throwing caution away and hugging his brother.

Jerik returned the hug, smiling. "Yes, Baiten, it's me. I wouldn't forget you; I wouldn't let you die so easily. You're my little brother; I'm supposed to look out for you."

"Jerik I….there is so much I need to ask you," Baiten said, the words flowing rapidly from his mouth. "Where am I? What happened to my friends? What exactly _is_ Scaramouche? Why did you join it?" Baiten's eyes widened as he looked hopefully at his brother.

Jerik pulled away, unwrapping his arms from around Baiten's back. "Those are all very good questions, and I believe you have a right to know. I was ordered, however, only to prime you for what's coming. I wasn't even supposed to show my face. I am merely here to inform you that you will need to fight, and to give you this," Jerik reached onto his back and removed a sheathed katana hanging from a plain black strap. He tossed the weapon to Baiten as he started to walk out. "I figured you'd need that back if you wanted any hope of winning."

"Thanks," Baiten said, turning Justare over in his hands.

"You're welcome. They will come to get you in a few hours; be ready and do your best. Don't die, my brother," Jerik said, replacing his mask and striding towards the door.

"Wait, who's coming?" Baiten called after him. "Jerik!" His brother appeared not to hear as he exited the room. _Damn, I hope I can survive whatever's coming…I can't believe my brother would join a cadre of murderers! There must be some reason, he isn't…he isn't evil! _

Baiten stared at his zanpakuto, drawing out the weapon and gazing at his reflection in the blade. "Justare, please lend me all of your strength for the coming fight. I'm not going to die before I get some answers."

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"Why are we always the ones assigned to crap like this," sighed Croxur, itching his nose idly as he strode down the passageway.

"Yeah, bro, it's pretty annoying that we always have to do such grunt work," replied Roxcru, rubbing her eyes wearily. "It's not fun being coolies…"

"…but it's how we have to live if we want to live," Croxur answered glumly. "I guess we've got things better than a lot of people…"

"…but that doesn't mean this kind of thing is fun," Roxcru finished. "I guess this is it," she said, pointing to a door with the number twenty-three emblazoned in bronze on its silvery body.

Baiten looked up as the door to his room slid open, seeing two figures standing in the portal. Both were of roughly the same height, build, and facial structure. Both had wavy auburn hair that extended to halfway down their necks, yet there was a key difference between the twins: one was male, one was female. Baiten had heard of fraternal twins before, but he had never seen them, and was thus momentarily speechless before realizing why the two had come.

"Up and at 'em," the male spoke, gesturing with both thumbs towards the hallways. Baiten rose, slowly edging towards the two.

"Hurry it up, we don't want to keep the others waiting," the female said, taping a watch on her left wrist. "We want to be as efficient as possible."

_These two seem awfully cheery for members of a murderous organization_, Baiten thought. _Maybe there's more to this whole adventure than is immediately obvious. I'd better follow them; maybe they'll help me get to the bottom of things. _

"Fine, fine," Baiten muttered, pushing off the ground with both hands and rising to his feet. "Where are we off to?"

"No questions," Roxcru said. "Do as you're told. You weren't ordered to talk…"

"…so just follow us, ok?" Croxur finished for her. Each twin grabbed on of Baiten's arms and led him from his room down a series of long corridors. Each expanse of drab silver wall looked exactly the same to Baiten, and thus he was unsure how his captors knew exactly where to go.

_I can't sense any reiatsu,_ Baiten thought. _They must have some masking technique, most likely to avoid discovery by the Gotei 13. _

After what seemed like an hour of walking, Baiten and his captors reached a blank doorway. The two Scaramouche members knocked with an elongated series of specific raps and slams that Baiten assumed was some sort of code. After finishing their banging, the two stepped back and the door opened, revealing the interior of a massive chamber.

`The first thing Baiten noticed was that a row of eight chairs was aligned against each wall. These pieces of furniture were fairly elaborate, almost-throne like structures composed of some sort of dark wood. On the wall above each chair was a small bronze plaque with words Baiten could not make out from such a distance. Most of the chairs were vacant, but Baiten could see his brother sitting in one along the right wall. Three figures filled seats on the left wall, though their faces were unrecognizable and partly shrouded in darkness. It seemed to him that the lighting was poor in this room, as only the center was perfectly visible, lit by a large glowing ball that hung in the middle of the ceiling. Baiten continued to survey the room, noting the polished black and white marble floor with its checkered pattern. He did not have long to marvel before a voice echoed from the opposite side of the room.

"Ah, Baiten Seisha, glad you could join us, looks like you made it here first," the voice emanated from a figure shrouded in darkness on the opposite side of the room. As he spoke, this man moved towards one of the seats near Jerik while the twins moved towards seats on the left wall.

"Who are you? What is this place?" Baiten fired his questions in rapid succession. He could see the shadowy man shake his head.

"Wait until the end of the duel and I will answer all your queries," the figure replied.

"Duel? Who exactly am I fighting?" Baiten asked. "And why?"

"I will explain the purpose and rules once your opponent arrives," the man answered. Suddenly, a strange series of bangs echoed across the chamber, amplified by the acoustics of the massive alcove. "That must be him now."

At the opposite side of the room a door slid open and two figures entered through the shadows. One silhouette slid into one of the chairs on the left side of the room, while the other stumbled confusedly into the center of the room. As he came into the light, both he and Baiten let out gasps.

"Tairos!?"

"Baiten!?"

The two friends were in shock upon seeing one another, but before they could speak the shadowy figure who had spoken earlier began yet another speech.

"Ah, Tairos Naix is here, now we have both of our combatants," he declared. "Allow me the formally welcome you both to the headquarters of our little organization, Scaramouche. Now, the reason you two have been brought here is because our association currently has an opening that we need filled…"

"As if we'd join corrupt fuckers like you!" Tairos yelled.

"My my, someone is awfully irritable this morning," the man replied, a disconcerting calm slithering between his words. "I guess manners will have to be the second part of your initiation. Now, you two have been offered a very special opportunity, a pathway to the truth. Our organization represents the future, and we'd love to have yet another talented member in our ranks. Sadly, we have but _one_ place free, and, as we can't have too many people running around who know about us, we decided to host this duel."

The man cleared his throat and continued. "This fight will also be a chance for you to demonstrate your skills and prove that you are truly fit to be a member of Scaramouche. Before either of you consider fleeing or attempting to fight back, know that we will not hesitate to kill both of you now. You have two choices: fight and win a chance to preserve your life and join the future of Seireitei, or fail to comply and be nothing more than a bloody stain on the marble. What are your decisions?"

Baiten grunted slightly. _Damn, they've got us. Maybe it's best to fight; maybe I can win without killing Tairos. As a member, maybe I could destroy this group from the inside. Unless this "truth" they speak of is real….no! They are nothing more than fiends, corrupt murderers who slay valiant Shinigami. _

"I will fight," Tairos declared, breaking Baiten's thought process. _If I can hit Baiten with the correct kidou attack, he will appear dead. Then, I can escape with his body later once I become a member of this group._

_What is Tairos doing? Does he really intend to fight me to the death? No, I will not kill my best friend…but perhaps he has a plan?_ Baiten sighed. "I accept your challenge."

The friends eyed one another, narrowing their gazes and drawing their weapons.

"Let the battle begin!" The hidden figure declared gleefully as the two friends released their shikais.

"Judge, Justare!"

"Balance, Librar!"

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"Damn it all," Jaice Gandaime cursed, slamming his shoulder into the wall of his cell yet again. His hands were bound by a short length and chain but that still did not stop the determined man from using any body part he could as an instrument of noise. "Let me the hell out so I can trash you motherfuckers!" After three hours of almost constant yelling, Jaice's voice was raspy and far too hoarse for any to hear. "Where am I? What are you bastards going to do to me? I'm getting really tired of this capturing and experimentation crap!" Jaice pulled back and moved to ram to ram the wall, but suddenly it slid open, causing the Shinigami to rush forward and slip to the floor, his body making the walls echo briefly.

Jaice grunted and looked up, his head now out of the doorway. Above him towered a fairly tall man wearing a standard shinigami kimono. His face, however, was covered by a pure white cowl and his hands bore black leather gloves making it impossible for Jaice to even see the man's skin color.

"Who are you? Another scientist from the 12th squad? I'm done with that shit what do you all still want from me?" Jaice growled, his voice little more than a hoarse whisper.

"You don't even know where you are do you?" The man replied, his voice lacking any feeling or distinguishing qualities. "This is the Scaramouche base."

"So you're one of them?" Jaice pushed himself to his feet and took a fighting stance, his bound hands up to guard his face. He aimed a crescent kick but the man caught his leg without a second thought.

"No, I came to free you. There isn't any time to explain, we need to get out of here."

"And why should I trust you? This could easily be a trap."

"Do you think Scaramouche would leave you alive if they didn't have a plan for you? Either way, you're taking a risk. I'd suggest following me. I can promise you that I'm on your side." Jaice eyed the man cautiously, lowering his hands slightly. With a swift motion the man drew his zanpakuto, cut the chains, caught them with his free hand before they could make a clanging sound on the floor, and resheathed his blade on his right hip. "That's better. Let's go."

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Baiten charged forward but Tairos leapt back, intent on keeping the distance between them. _Baiten's better than I am at zanjutsu, but when it comes to kidou I've got him beat hands down. As long as I can blast him from far away, I'll win. I just need to hit him with a good direct hit to knock him out. I can always heal him later._

_Damn, he's faster than I remember_, Baiten thought. _It really has been awhile since we spared. If Tairos is here, that must mean Jaice is too…no, I can't think about that now, I need to focus on winning. If I just stab him through the chest a little to the side of his heart I can make it look fatal; Tairos would be smart enough to play along. _

Baiten lunged, Justare pointed ahead of him as he closed the gap between Tairos and himself. The latter narrowly dodged the attack, watching as the cloth on his chest was caught and ripped away by the rapier. Baiten was briefly shocked, wheeling himself out of the way as Tairos aimed a blast of White Lightning from Librar's tip.

"You aren't using your shikai's ability," Tairos stated, firing a blast of Red Fire at Baiten, who narrowly dodged, the blast singeing his left leg.

"Neither are you," Baiten shot back. "Don't go easy on me." The words were cold, and Baiten's eyes narrowed.

_Good job, Baiten, playing this out like you really want to kill me,_ Tairos thought. _We need to make this believable if we want to both walk of our here._

"Fine then, you bastard, I won't hold back, just don't whimper like a little bitch when your being burned alive! Balance!" Baiten looked shocked as he felt some reiatsu leaving his body, knowing full well that Tairos was equaling the balance between them.

_Good move, you've been firing kidou at me for the past few minutes and I've barely broken a sweat,_ Baiten considered. _Since we have roughly equal stores of kidou, this gives you a decent edge. Sadly for you, I learned long ago that the pathway to victory against you lies solely through my blade._ Baiten's mind stopped briefly as he avoided another kidou attack, this one blasting a hole in the marble floor. _I can't think that way, it's almost as if my subconscious is telling me to…to kill Tairos. No, he's my friend, we've been through so much. He's never wronged me…no, that's a lie, we've had our disagreements but that's no reason to kill him._

"Quit running around like a cockroach and fight like a man!" Tairos yelled, scowling as Baiten avoided a well aimed Shot of Blue Fire. "I even chanted for that one, had it hit this battle would be over."

_Tairos isn't intentionally missing, otherwise I wouldn't have to dodge so well…no, he wants to kill me too. He was always jealous of me, always annoyed when things would turn out well. He hated it whenever I'd defeat him at anything, and so he always tried to make even his small victories over me seem enormous. _Baiten's mind raced with these thoughts as he wheeled and pointed his sword at Tairos.

"Judge!" The beams of light slammed into Tairos's eyes before he even could consider what was happening. He cocked his head, attempted to tell where Baiten was through the clicking of his feet on the marble tiles. Tairos took aim several times but fired widely, as Baiten moved closer, Justare at the ready.

"It's time to end this battle, Tairos!"

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"You know the layout of this place well for someone who isn't part of Scaramouche," Jaice noted, following his apparent savior down another drab hallway.

"I got in, so obviously I know how to get out," the man replied neutrally. "Feel free to go your own way. As I've said, you might as well trust me; if I was going to kill you or lead you into a trap I wouldn't have waited this long."

_That's true, we have been running for almost an hour by my count,_ Jaice thought as they rounded a corner. _Still, there's something not quite right about this guy. There's something unnervingly familiar about him._

As they passed a door, Tairos stopped. His accomplice, who had been running ahead, stopped and turned around. "Is something wrong?"

"I thought I heard my friend Baiten's voice. I need to see if he's behind this door, it sounds like he's fighting someone."

"No, we don't have time, we need to get out of here," the man answered coldly.

"I'd rather risk my life than leave my friend to die. Also, Baiten can help us look for Tairos. The three of us are a team; if one falls, we all fall." Jaice pushed on the door but it wouldn't budge. He growled, slamming on it again and again. Suddenly, he felt something knock against his leg and turned to see Sangren lying at his feet. He looked at the stranger who nodded.

"I thought I'd pick that up for you. I was going to give it to you later, but I figure now is as good a time as any."

"Thanks," Jaice said picking up. "I wish you'd given it to me sooner, but no matter. Bleed, Sangren!" Acid coated the machete's blade and Jaice swung with all his fury at the portal. The metal hissed and sparked as the corrosive blade bit through it, making a hole large enough for Jaice and his ally to rush through.

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Baiten gripped his blade tightly as he moved within striking distance of Tairos. The shorter shinigami kicked at his friend's legs, sending him plummeting to the ground. Baiten then swung Justare at Tairos's staff, knocking Librar from his hands and sending the zanpakuto sliding across the polished floor. Tairos tried to stand but Baiten placed his right foot squarely atop his opponent's chest, pinning him to the ground. Baiten pulled back his sword and readied himself to inflict the final blow.

"Baiten, what the fuck are you doing?" Jaice's voice roared across the room. Baiten turned to see his friend standing at the top of a stairway that extended from a balcony on the room's left wall.

"Shall I deal with the intruder, master?" Jerik inquired, turning to the man masked by shadows.

"No need. Leave him for the time being; we will slaughter him after this spectacle is complete. However, stand by, we cannot let him interfere."

"Baiten, you can't seriously be thinking of killing Tairos!" Jaice screamed, rushing down the stairs. "What the hell is going on?"

"Ignore him and finish the duel," the master stated, raising his right hand and pointing at Jaice. "Jerik," he snapped his fingers, "detain him!"

"With pleasure, my lord!" Jerik declared, springing from his seat and flipping in the air. Jaice swung his zanpakuto at his assailant but the attack was easily dodged and, as if by magic, Jerik appeared behind Jaice, pinning both the man's arms.

"Baiten, do not hesitate, finish the duel," the lord stated.

"No, Baiten, you can't do this! Tairos is your friend, don't murder him!" Jaice screamed. Jerik clasped his hands over Jaice's mouth removed it swiftly as teeth clamped onto his fingers. "Think about what you're doing!"

"Baiten, do it," Tairos whispered. "Kill me. You know very well one of us has to die. We could try to fake it, but as things are now they would check too thoroughly. Live, live and defeat Scaramouche. As one of its members, you can bring it down from the inside. Kill me now."

A brief tear slid down Baiten's right cheek as he thrust his sword into Tairos's heart. "Goodbye, my friend." Baiten turned and pulled his sword out of the corpse, ripped a piece from Tairos's kimono and cleaned the blade before whisking away the miniscule tear that had appeared on his face. "It is done," he declared strongly. "I've won."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Jaice screeched, his voice piercing the room. "You fucking bastard! I…can't accept this! You aren't Baiten! He wouldn't do this, he's too pure! He loved justice!"

"Jaice, who are you to judge what is pure and what is just, you who have always lived with a deep murderous intent," Baiten declared, sheathing his blade. "This is the path to justice. I live on so that I may pursue a way to bring light to the world."

"What kind of shit is this? You're a fucking monster! Scaramouche is full of murderers and you're just going to join up like it's some club? Look at yourself. You can't make such quick judgments!"

"Jaice, you and I know almost nothing of Scaramouche. My brother, the man gripping you now, is the purest person I ever knew. If he would willing serve such an organization, then there must be a higher cause behind it. I will find that cause and serve it."

"Such a rapid, malicious change of heart…what happened to you?" Jaice cried, tears of hate rolling down his cheeks. "I'll kill you all!"

"You act as if you're in a position to say that," Jerik said, moving one hand to grip Jaice's throat. "The master had a plan for you, but it seems now that I might as well kill you so you don't cause trouble."

"B…Baiten," Jaice rasped. "You're not even going to try and save me? To think I was the friend of some low down bastard all these years! Traitor! Even if I die, my spirit will live on and haunt you! Yes, Tairos and I will track you down and make your life a nightmare!" Jaice gasped as Jerik's grip tightened, watching helplessly as Baiten turned away and walked toward his new master, kneeling as if before royalty.

Jaice's eyes rolled back and he was ready to accept death until he heard a familiar cry.

"Shingai, Denkou-deki!" Jerik screamed in pain and let go of Jaice; his body convulsed momentarily before he pulled away, noting the wound in his arm where the blade had entered.

"Damn, I missed," the masked man said holding the familiar zanpakuto. "Come on, Jaice, we can't afford to fight here or we'll die. We can take our revenge later."

"Even I know when fighting's no good," Jaice muttered, rushing beside his ally.

"Shindou? It isn't possible! Tyshi killed him!" Croxur yelled, jumping out of his seat.

"We'll make sure to finish him this time!" Roxcru declared as she followed her twin, drawing her sword as her brother followed suit. The two headed to block the only open exit while Jerik rose and rushed at the invaders.

"Damn it," the masked man said. "There isn't a way out now…"

"I've got an idea," Jaice muttered. "Listen the fuck up everyone. My name's Jaice Gandaime and I'm about to give you all a little surprise that going to rip you all to pieces! I was saving it for a rainy day, and now's the time to use it!" He held Sangren in front of him. "BANKAI!" Smoke filled the area and Jerik leapt back, drawing his sword and preparing for whatever Jaice's final release might entail. As the smoke cleared, the assembled members were in shock to see their foes had vanished and a massive hole in the far wall, a hole created by acid.

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"Quick thinking," the masked man said as he and Jaice raced forth.

"Thanks, I've been saving that smoke bomb trick for quite awhile now," Jaice said and then paused. "Shindou, I really owe you. But, answer me this, how did you survive?"

The masked figure laughed. "You can kill a warrior's body but his spirit will always live on. Now, I'm going to need your help with something. I've been working on assembling a group that can help us achieve our objective."

"And that is?" Jaice asked facetiously.

"Destroying Scaramouche."

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"That was exciting, wasn't it?" The leader stated as he addressed the room. "Don't bother pursuing them, they're long gone by now. Roxcru, Croxur, remove Tairos's body and check it to ensure he's dead; then, if you don't mind, start preparing for repairing this room, I can't allow it to stay in this state for too long." The twins nodded and grabbed Tairos's body, checking his pulse and listening to his heart before giving a thumbs up to confirm his demise. The two edged out of the room as the leader continued to speak. "Anyway, we have a more important matter now, welcoming our newest member, Baiten Seisha. Baiten, I hereby promote you to Pawn of Scaramouche."

"Thank you, my lord," Baiten said, bowing. "Now, I've killed my best friend and caused the other to desire my skull as a trophy, I think I've paid for those answers I seek."

"Of course," the leader replied. "You may refer to me by any honorary title you see fit, but know that my rank is King. I founded Scaramouche, an Organization established to bring justice and truth to a long corrupt Soul Society.

"The format of our group is modeled on a chess board. As there are sixteen pieces in chess, so there are sixteen members here, a number that I try to keep constant as often as possible. When one member dies, we work quickly to replace him or her. I found out long ago that fifteen confidants is the most I can manage and have all be fairly trustworthy.

"The organization is divided into two main halves: the First Row consists of Pawns while the Second Row consists of two Rooks, two Knights, two Bishops, a Queen, and myself, the King. Each row is further divided into a Queen's half and a King's half. You are a Pawn of the Queen's First Row; to be precise, you are the Queen's Knight's Pawn; your brother has the position of Queen's Knight and so he is your direct overseer from the Second Row. Do you follow so far?"

"Yes, go on," Baiten said.

"Scaramouche's mission is to eliminate the corruption within Soul Society, so the time has come now to tell you the truth. As you know, Soul Society is divided into many sectors each with a number while Seireitei is in the middle. These outer sectors, called Rukongai, contain uncorrupted souls called Pluses. Each district is numbered with the higher numbers, such as Area 70, having a worse reputation. These areas are often seen as a breeding ground for criminals, and thus are strictly monitored by Seireitei.

"But why are some men and women in outer Rukongai evil, or at least considered so by the Gotei 13? Elitism. The so called "pure" souls that reside within Seireitei consider themselves above those in outer Rukongai. Yes, some people from the higher numbered regions become Shinigami, but they are usually monitored and rarely promoted to high ranks. Thus, the people in these areas despise Seireitei and seek to move against it in order to gain respect.

"And that is what they deserve: our respect. They have done nothing to deserve their place in this world; it could easily be you or I who lives in such poor conditions. Thus, I propose that we restructure Soul Society and make Rukongai a place where souls can live joyfully. Seireitei does nothing to improve the conditions in these areas, and so it is Seireitei that breeds their own adversaries. We of Scaramouche will work from the shadows to take control of the Gotei 13 and eventually be able to bring freedom to the people of Rukongai."

"That's…a beautiful sentiment," Baiten stated. "But how can we, a group of only sixteen, ever hope to achieve such a goal?"

The King smiled, his teeth visible as they gleamed from within the shadows. "The next stage of our plan involves taking power directly. Sadly, it is taking longer to prepare for than we first anticipated. I cannot give you details now as it would take far too long, but you will be informed within the next few days. It seems we will have to wait thirty years to implement it; in that time, we will stay concealed and continue training, preparing for the day when we will strike. Are you up to the challenge?"

"Yes, my King," Baiten declared.

"Good. Jerik, show Baiten to his chambers and inform him of where he can find his necessities. It is good to have another Seisha aboard."

"Thank you, my lord," Baiten said as he followed Jerik out of the room. A new chapter had dawned in his life. The truth Baiten sought seemed so near. _Justice for the weak, a beautiful sentiment. Tairos, you died for a noble cause._

HES: Wow, an intense chapter, eh? Tairos is dead and Baiten's joined Scaramouche! Sorry for the really late update, but I've been very busy lately (what else is new?). Anyway, I hope you all like the story, it's changed a lot from my original plans, but I still really like it. A new arc is starting up in a few chapters and then the story is going to enter its final act; I hope you're all excited, I know I am!


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